


The Legend of Rose Hexfury - The Perilous Prelude

by infinitarisus



Series: The Legend of Rose Hexfury [1]
Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)
Genre: Abandonment, Absent Parents, Blindness, Broken Promises, Canon Compliant, Canon Continuation, Canon Related, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Chaptered, Childhood Friends, Fortune Telling, Half-Siblings, Implied Sexual Content, Innuendo, Magic, Medicine, Minor Character Death, Minor Original Character(s), Multi, Mythology References, Nightmares, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, POV Female Character, Post-Canon, Postpartum Depression, Pre-Canon, Prophecy, Rivalry, Series, Slavery, Theft, Unplanned Pregnancy, Unrequited Crush, Voodoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-07
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-04-19 16:20:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 34,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14241165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infinitarisus/pseuds/infinitarisus
Summary: Rose Hexfury, the half-sister of Jack Sparrow, pupil of Tia Dalma, and daughter of Captain Teague, was but a footnote in the story of the renowned "Pirates of the Caribbean" during the mid-1700's. This is her untold story; all the times you never saw her, all the interactions she had with the characters you remember, and the impact you never knew she made, all told in retrospect by a disguised character who wishes to preserve her legacy.With the exception of a few canonically confusing elements of the fifth film, this story remains closely tied to the canon of the entire film series, as well as incorporates elements of the Jack Sparrow book series by Rob Kidd, telling the story from another point of view of an original character. The first of five parts and a spinoff story. Originally posted on FanFiction.net, currently still in progress.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is a project I have been working on since I was twelve years old and completely taken by Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. It was at the insistence of a friend that I finish it and originally publish my work on FanFiction.net. There, I completed it in time for the fifth Pirates film's release, and have since decided to keep it going in a spinoff series. I apologize for cross-posting, but I am curious about the AO3 format and if it works better for me. 
> 
> Feel free to comment your thoughts! I am eager to share my work and see how this goes! Happy reading! This is Part 1 of 6 in my series.

“That’s alright. Read it again, Rose,” her mother murmured gently. 

Rose cleared her throat and looked at her mother’s perfect handwriting on the piece of parchment that sat in her lap.

 

> _“Thine sea of beauty, is without l-limit,_  
>  _Stre-strea-streaching forth eternally._  
>  _‘Till darkness raises from the deaths,_  
>  _‘Tis shimmering for thee.”_

Her mother gracefully cocked her head to one side, casting an imaginative look upwards.“What is death?” she asked calmly.

Rose hesitated. _Does she mean for me to answer? Isn’t it obvious what death is? Oh no… is this a lecture?_ She finally responded, “Death is… when something loses life and spirit forever and cannot live.”

“ _’Till darkness raises from the deaths…_ wasn’t that what you read?”

Confused, Rose took another look at the parchment.

“Argghhh,” she growled, adjusting the green bandana tied around the top of her head. “It’s DEPTHS, not DEATHS! I’m awful! I hate reading!”

“You did just fine,” her mother said reassuringly. “Just next time do better!” Laughing, she stood up from the grass they sat upon and turned towards the sun.

Suddenly, her eyes widened. “Rose!” she exclaimed. “Quick! Stand up and look!”

Leaping to her feet, Rose followed her gaze.

“What? All I see is the sunset!” she said.

“Exactly!” her mother whispered, voice growing with rising intensity. “Seldom times, one can spot a green flash along the horizon. You remember when I told you that there are those who can travel between the worlds?”

Rose nodded.

“Well, the flash of green indicates when a soul enters the Land of the Living from the Land of the Dead!”

Rose beamed. “Do you think we’ll see it tonight, Maman?”

Anna squeezed her daughter’s shoulders. “Let’s wait and see…”

They both fell silent and stared ahead into the sky. As the final speck of the sun sank below the waves, Rose took in a shallow breath, her pulse increasing. She blinked when a spectacle of green light briefly glowed over the water.

Beaming, she looked up at her mother. Her beautiful face smiled down at her daughter, her raven hair playing with the wind. “Let’s catch up with the others!” she said faintly.

_Please,_ Rose begged as they walked together, _If you’re listening, if you can hear me at all, you will not wake me. Please. This was when I was happy. This was before. Don’t wake me. Please don’t wake me!_

As if in cruel response, her dreams fired a single gunshot. Her mother’s warm figure slowly disappeared, and Rose was faced with brutal memories flashing past her. Tears ran down her cheeks at an alarmingly fast rate. As she broke into a frightened sob, she awoke.

Rose sat straight up to find herself covered in sweat from head to toe, shaking and sobbing on a hard, wooden floor. She had woken up from the dream that began so carefree and jubilant, then turned so drastically morbid and horrible. Placing one hand on her forehead, she continued to cry, though the shackles that confined her clanked against the ground with every shake of her shoulders. What had happened to her wasn’t fair. What was to become of her would _never_ be fair.

But suddenly, her tears ceased. She sat straight upwards once more, this time more steadily. She could not show weakness here. She had to be strong…for her mother.

It had been a whole year since her mother’s death, and no one, no matter how mystical or powerful, could reverse time to change that fact.

A voice stirred her from her thoughts. “'Allo?"

Rose gasped. She should have known her commotion in the middle of the night would wake the other prisoners. She held her breath and begged for the voice to forget about her and go back to sleep.

The voice was closer. "Was that you crying?"

_Go away,_ Rose prayed. _Just go away and leave me be..._

The person was right next to her now, his shackles pulled across the length of the room. "It's alright," he said. "You don't have to be afraid. My name's Jack."

_Jack Sparrow._

* * *

 

The lead character of this account is named Rose Hexfury. An eccentric name, and not her birth name, but it's what she goes by.

You have never heard of her.

Her name is but a footnote in the lives of others, andshe prefers to keep it that way. Her story is unknown up to now, but her involvement with piracy during the middle eighteenth century is not. As of yet, these stories have developed into legends that are known only to you if you are reading this written ledger. This is the story of the pirates that sailed the Caribbean. In many ways, it was a rewarding life. Dangerous, volatile, adventurous, daring, and promising. Rose Hexfury merely stood at the helm, watching it unfold and trying to keep the ones she loved safe. You all know the story I am about to tell, just perhaps you never saw her there. Perhaps you never saw the girl in the shadows.

Now you might be curious as to who I am, and what credibility I have to tell this overlooked saga. My story comes into play at the end of this detailed account, and the end of this miraculous life. My voice in this matter is unimportant; I merely strive to tell Rose's.

Life as a woman during this time was a difficult one. Not much awaited them on the deck of a pirate ship but misery and maltreatment. Many sailors considered women a curse to have onboard, and onshore they were only used as barmaids or for the purposes of keeping lonesome sailors company in the night. Occasionally, a good girl and an honest sailor could build a family, but under the colors of a pirate flag, but no one ever stayed "good" for long. Pirates sailed the seas the world over, and not only just in the Caribbean. They sacked villages, wallowed in a rum-induced stupor, plundered merchant vessels, stole, hid treasure, stole someone else's hidden treasure, drank in taverns, brawled in taverns, and were above all else, the greatest destructors of their time. They controlled the sea. I have heard many times that all men desire to control the sea, so, by this logic, what was there to lose? A pirate could live his dream on the open ocean, live for some minor work, and gain all the glories of sacking a town or a ship or a merchant. The only things at risk at the time Rose was born were getting caught, getting robbed, or getting killed. Even the sins associated with piracy were of no merit, because these men were living in heaven each day they awoke in the morning. There were jolly pirates, cutthroat pirates, cunning pirates, drunkard pirates, and then there was Rose's father, who seemed an entity of his own.

But I digress from my original point of the role of women in this piratical society. As you know from perhaps, the revered pirate lord Captain Elizabeth Swann or the cunning Angelica Teach, in order to get even a shilling of what you wanted from the life of a pirate, you needed to be sharp, fierce, intelligent, and tough. I hate to disappoint you readers, but Rose possessed none of these traits en masse like the two aforementioned ladies. Rose had to learn to survive, whilst these other two seemed to be born with the skills necessary to control their own destinies. Perhaps that was why Rose was more suited to the life her mother Anna led—the life of a gypsy.


	2. Gypsies

Rose was French. She was born in France. her and her gypsy clan lived all along the western coast of France, trading with international merchant vessels and pirates alike. Her mother's name was Anna, and they were from a prominent and large-sized group that traversed the countryside, making their way of life through both honest and dishonest means. Their gypsy train, while nomadic like other gypsies throughout Europe, had primarily made camp in the Bretagne region, though they never stayed in one place for long. Gypsies had been ordered for expulsion from France and many neighboring nations nearly two centuries prior, which meant the ultimate end to the gypsy way of life. Gypsies who were caught were imprisoned, executed, deported, or even enslaved. However, the laws had started to fall out of effect as time passed, and the gypsies returned gradually to their old haunts.

Anna was from a long line of gypsies that had branched out from the Pyrenees mountains. The men set up trade in the main town center while the women were in charge of bringing customers into their camp, as well as keeping home. They would entertain and feed the guests, and sometimes tell fortunes. Anna, however, was the _best_ at telling fortunes. What gypsies did were no worse than pirates. They stole. What Anna did was not real. She could not tell the future. But she _could_ manage to put them in a deep enough trance while she picked their pockets, searching for valuables. The women were cunning, able to steal coin purses, watches, jewelry, and more while the men on dock traded cheap goods for more money than their item was ever worth. Rose grew up in this community—cutthroat and stealthy in its own way, but still fostering a family environment. There were about two dozen of them, and all of them felt protected and loved. Perhaps Anna was the most beloved. She was beautiful. She had gorgeous raven curls that fell down her back, and, as sure as the sun, _purple_ eyes. Her hands were adorned with rings she had pawned and along her hip was a belt complete with tokens she had found. Every item she owned was kept on her person at all times. The gypsies used her beauty to their advantage. The men were intoxicated by her handsome features and women were eager to believe her false fortune telling. No one could say no to her. And by the time her customers left her wagon, so bewitched by her were they that it would be days before they realized what had been stolen from them and by that time, the train had moved on to another area. They called her, _La Belle Violet_ , The Violet Beauty. The head counsel of elders in the clan decided that she could earn a better profit if she provided company to men, but Anna would have none of it. She was proud, and virtuous and... odd. She, of course, was sociable with her family, and needed social qualities in order to pull off a job, but she preferred to be on her own. She stole for the sake of the family but never valued material objects herself. She could often be found on a bluff overlooking the ocean, a logging journal in her lap and an ink pen in her left hand. Perhaps she wasn't the best mother. Perhaps she drank and stole and swindled, but she was wonderful and remained ever wonderful in Rose's eyes because of the simple fact that she _was_ her mother.

One man changed Anna though. He changed her because he himself was different and obscure. Not only was he a pirate, but a pirate captain. He made port in France to restock supplies. As expected, the gypsies were waiting to swindle his crew at the dock. At first, orders from the first mate were for the crew to keep moving, but the gypsy men of the clan were wiser. They often anticipated when large vessels, resupplying at the town's docks, contained eager sailors, or in this case, insatiable pirates. So, they brought some of the women along to lead them into camp. Anna waited outside her wagon, watching the commotion as their party was increased by double. The sailors drank and sang and danced around the fire, fully embracing the gypsy culture in their drunken stupor and oblivious to the five men rifling through their belongings. Now pirates were another matter entirely. As the night progressed, Anna knew that in a matter of hours, the caravan train would be on their way, making great haste between them and the unconscious pirates. For as soon as a single fellow raised an alarm about being robbed, every gypsy's life was in grave danger. It had happened before, and it certainly could happen again.

Anna pretended to be happy and merry with the others, but still watched carefully for any pirate who came close to examining his personal effects. A friendly smile sparkled against the flames of a fire and caught her eye. It came from her younger sister, Desiree, who as she passed by Anna, held out a hand towards her, motioning her to join the circle dancing around the heat of the fire. Anna gave a half-hearted smile in response, shaking her head. Anna never danced. She was pensive, not merry. A hollering ruffian took Desiree's hand in place of Anna and swung her around in a rambunctious dance. Desiree shot an exasperated glance back at Anna, who had the chance to share a laugh with her before she disappeared out of her sight behind the crowd.

Just then, something caught the corner of her eye; A short, bearded pirate was stumbling back to his belt containing a coin pouch he had abandoned by a nearby tree. She had diverted her attention for but a few seconds and this man, even though in a drunken stupor, could mean the difference between life and death for her family. As he reached out for his belongings, muttering a simple song to himself, Anna broke into a run to stop him. She quickly put on a charming smile and darted between him and the items.

" _Bonjour, monsieur_. If I could, perhaps, lead you this way?" she sang.

"Er...no madimozel! Methinks it's time to return to...uh...the...boat...ship." He was too intoxicated to even think straight. Anna anticipated not much of a fight.

"Of course monsieur, but I will accompany you to where the others are." She shrewdly wrapped her arms around his shoulder to lead him away.

In a flash of a second, Anna was disarmed. The man certainly was intoxicated, but not enough to leave him completely defenseless. He was just as insistent on retrieving his effects as Anna was in leading him away from them. He grabbed her left arm, wrenching it away from his shoulders."Did ye hear what I said? I said NO!"

He increased pressure on her arm, bending it back toward her with the intentions of breaking it. Anna reached behind her to grab her pistol. If she could just reach it, she could hit him upside the head and knock him unconscious...

Click! Someone had already found their pistol. The man stopped moving, still retaining pressure on Anna's head and arm, but remaining motionless.

"And _she_ told you to join the others," a deep voice growled, engulfed in the shadows behind the tree. Anna turned her head enough to make out the outline of the man's pistol aimed directly at the man's head. This must have been one of her clan coming to her aid, though she did not recognize the voice with it.

"But, sir," the man protested, "This wench 'ere got between me an' my business. For the crew."

The pistol lessened the distance between itself and the knave's forehead. "By my orders, stand down."

The man released Anna. She immediately grabbed her own pistol and aimed as well.

"Now, join the others. Like she said," the voice ordered.

The man nodded eagerly. "Aye captain." _So, not one of my clan_ , Anna thought as she watched the rat-like creature scurry away towards the fire.

Before she had the chance to thank her savior, she turned nearly into the chest of a tall and foreboding man, the owner of the pistol that had save her life, who had stepped toward her fully into the light.

"I have watched all of you and I know what you are," said he, sternly.

She was unarmed against his piercing black eyes that seemed to slice through her. Usually quick on her feet, she was suddenly rendered speechless. He continued, his voice an unsettling mixture of both stoicism and violence. "I have seen the teamwork involved here. The women distract while the men steal the goods. Though you don't seem to play a role. Why is that?"

She swallowed, glancing toward the fire. They were all a good ten yards away, far enough that no one could come to her aid without Anna causing a scene and creating widespread panic. She had no choice but to answer. "I should say the same to you." In retrospect, a comment like this could have resulted in her immediate death. However, this man did not want to kill her. He smirked as she continued her point. "I have not seen you amongst the rest of your crew tonight."

He stared at her for a moment. "I don't dance."

"Do you not drink?"

"Oh no, I drink," he quickly corrected. "I am the ship's captain."

A captain! This presented Anna with an opportunity to perhaps steal more goods for the sake of her people… She immediately turned on her charm again. "And are ship captain's not permitted to dance?"

Unfortunately for Anna, this captain could see right through her game and retaliated. "No, but they are permitted to supervise their crew while they are being swindled."

Now Anna was beginning to get frustrated. "If you saw what we were doing then why did you not protect your crew, _mon capitan?"_ She huffily turned her back on him and began to walk back towards her wagon.

He called after her and closely followed her. "A sort of punishment. A lesson to be learned perhaps."

She spun around to face him. "And what lesson would that be? Never trust a gypsy?"

"Not necessarily. One should never trust a pirate either." They shared a look. "No, the lesson is to never act without the consent of one's captain, because you often are inclined to do moronic things. Especially when you have been at sea for months on end."

She swallowed, considering her options. Soon, she had concocted her next move. She put on a seductive smile and approached him, wrapping her arms around him. He did not even seem phased by her unpredictable nature.

"Perhaps then, you could do us all a favor and call your crew back to your ship before they have a chance to learn their lesson without you?" she asked. A seductive tone infiltrated her carefully chosen words as she drew her face closer to his. He had high cheekbones, long dark hair tied back with a bandana. Like her, he was adorned in various trinkets, and all of his effects were on his person.

"I intend to," he whispered back at her.

She smirked. "How can I expect you to keep your word? You just told me to never trust a pirate."

Their lips drew close. Closer. Closer still. The captain did not even flinch. Finally, Anna was the one to pull away and she smiled. "But I have a feeling I could trust you." She started to walk away from him towards the fire, thoroughly pleased with herself.

"Too bad I cannot trust a gypsy," he said. This made her stop dead. "Now if you don't mind, I'll be taking the necklace back." Her face fell and the pit of her stomach swelled with fury as she yanked the mother of pearl pendant from her pocket. She turned back to him and shoved it into his chest. This was the only man who had ever predicted her tricks.

"Keep it," she said bitterly. "Not worth my time anyway."

"You sure?" he asked, cleaning it off with his shirtsleeve. "Its a part of a two part pendent from oysters in Indonesia."

She threw him a skeptical look. "Isn't one piece incomplete without the other?"

"Perhaps it represents being a half of a whole."

She smiled although she was utterly bewildered by this mysterious fellow and his nature.

He put the pendant back in his jacket pocket. "See here," he said. "I know the most certain way the men will not even notice that their effects have been taken. You and I will pack their coats and weapons back to my ship using one of these wagons. When I return to retrieve them, I will inform them that their things are all aboard, and they will not even know that they have been robbed until we are safely headed from shore."

This man was an enigma. "Why are you so willing to help me?" she asked.

"I've already told you," said he. "A good captain must teach by example—"

She cut him off. "No, you are helping _me._ Why?"

He merely stared directly at her. "Perhaps I see something in you I do not see in your brethren. Perhaps I see a little of myself in you."

Above all else, Anna was a romantic. She had heard tales of love and romance and had dreams of running away with someone who truly loved her. So it was only natural that she throw caution to the wind and follow this man, just in case he was worthy of her heart. He quietly loaded the items into her wagon, while Anna readied and tethered her horse. Together, they rounded the hill that led to the dock.

"What is your name?" he called out to her.

"Anna! And yours?"

"Edward."

"From where do you hail, Edward? England?"

"My primary business is in the Caribbean."

"Isn't that far?"

“Nowhere is far away when you sail the seas long enough."

They were now briskly walking along the dock. "There she is," Edward said. “The _Misty Lady_."

Anna had seen more elaborate ships than that in her lifetime, but she politely feigned interest in it. They pulled the wagon nearby the ship and threw the effects unceremoniously into the brig whilst Edward gave Anna a tour of the ship. The moon was bright that night, the sort of bright that illuminates the darkness of the night without being full. Anna barely paid attention to what Edward was saying. She was entranced by the mere illusion of him. She lived and worked in a business based on lies, and she thought it incredible that somehow these two masters of lies could see directly through each other's false pretenses. Edward was not her perfect match—she was a pirate of land while he was a pirate on the sea. He was older than she and not as handsome as she. But it was their spirit that magnetized their souls. She knew not whether what she felt was love or lust, be she also cared not. If she was not in love with him, she was at least in love with the thought of him.

* * *

 

They were gone for three hours. It was the middle of the night when they finally returned. Desiree was the only one who had noticed Anna's absence and subsequently feared for her life. When Anna finally did return, rounding the hill in the wagon with Edward by her side, Desiree chastised her insolence. But nothing could touch Anna. The two had only spent hours merely talking, but it was undeniable that they had found kindred spirits in each other. Both were remarkably charming and had made a deep connection. Anna wished that she didn’t have to leave Edward so soon, but it was the most responsible thing to do.

Most of the sailors and gypsies had been rendered all but unconscious in the grass by the time they returned, and Edward helped to round up his exhausted men and herd them towards the ship. Before heading out, he approached Anna one last time, asking, “May we meet again soon?”

Anna’s eyes gleamed as she broke into a wide grin, nodding happily.

Edward continued, “Tell your caravan to relocate to the next port to thee South. We will stay at port and in the morning, I will teach them their lesson and also order them to spend the day restocking the ship. We will have the entire day to ourselves."

"If we move, how will you find me?"

"Let's meet by the tree where we first met this evening," Edward said, beaming from ear to ear. And with a that, their first day together had ended. As she watched him follow his crew to the ship, Anna was so grateful they had one more day, yet at the same time felt the rapidly passing time on their final moments together.


	3. Love or Lust

Everything went according to plan. Anna and Desiree, along with several other gypsies lucid enough to work, gathered up the camp and readied the horses. At first dawn, they would depart, making a three hour long trek to the south safely tucked away in an isolated valley. When it came to the dangers of encountering furious customers, gypsies were willing and able to spend a day off of regular work activity and ride out the storm. Desiree covered for Anna as she took her horse and wagon and returned back to the bluff.

The pirates had returned prior to Anna's arrival to threaten the gypsies and regain their valuables, despite Edward's warning not to, as he chastised them for their conduct the previous night. They did not put up much of a search fortunately and soon returned to their restocking duties literally minutes before Anna arrived.

The time went on and the sun rose higher in the sky, and with each passing second, Anna grew increasingly anxious. What was delaying him? Had they been forced to leave early? Or was Edward just using her? Had he perhaps, no intentions to spend the day with her? Each second provided room for yet another doubt, and with each doubt, Anna believed them more and more until soon she was so upset she was tempted to urge her horse back to the clan. Suddenly, a faceless voice interrupted her thoughts.

" _Excusez-moi, mademoiselle?_ " The sound came from behind the cover of the wagon inside of which she sat.

"Oui?" she tentatively replied.

A face to the voice! Edward! Her heart soared. "It says here, painted on your wagon," said he, "That you tell fortunes."

She was beaming. " _C'est vrai, monsieur!_ "

He hoisted himself into the wagon, seating himself at her side. "Could you tell _my_ fortune, _mademoiselle_?"

"Hmmm..." she cooed, peering into his eyes. "I am not working today." She waited until he responded in silent understanding before she hooked him. "But," she said, causing his eyes to glow once more, "I _could_ make an exception…just this once." And this time she leaned in close toward his lips. "For you!" His eyes closed before he came in to kiss her. Anna seized the opportunity and waited until just before the moment of bliss to...leave. She darted to the back of the wagon, leaving him utterly bewildered.

"These things must be done delicately," she said, still beaming. She quickly pulled aside a beaded curtain and placed a flat tray on the wagon's floor at her feet. She pushed aside countless satin pillows that made up the interior of her wagon and made a seating area for herself at the rear of the space. Finally, the finishing touch! A crystal ball that even Edward couldn't help but comment on.

“My what a show you put on, Mademoiselle Anna!"

She let a smile form at the corner of her lips, although she was now trying to remain solemn. "If you please, Monsieur, sit opposite to me."

He obeyed, laughing to himself quietly. She leaned over the crystal ball and grabbed his hands with hers. This was not her usual practice, she mostly just wanted an excuse to hold him. She waited a few moments, and then began. "Your name is Edward."

He laughed. "How did you know?"

"You captain a ship."

"Yes I do."

"You hail from the Caribbean."

"Incredible how you know all this!"

She opened her eyes and released his hands. She now peered into her crystal ball, rubbing it mysteriously. She didn't look up at him, but continued to rub. "I see in your future...a gypsy!"

He leaned in close, looking into the crystal ball as well. "You do? How dreadful!"

"Mmm...it is a gypsy girl!"

" _No!_ " he cried dramatically.

"She is beautiful!"

"Well then I must find her!" he cried out, pounding on the wooden floor dramatically.

She looked up at him, smiling seductively. "I think I know where she might be!"

Their eyes met, unblinking, unafraid. He murmured, "I think do too."

Such was their relationship; unpredictable and _alive_. Neither knew much about the other—where they were born, who their parents were, what they liked and disliked. They just knew that they belonged with each other in that moment, that each of them filled a void, present for even just a moment, in the other's life. Their love was in mid-bloom, but the time that they had left was dwindling hour by hour, minute upon all-too-brief minute.

Hours passed, and the sunset arrived. Conversation had died between them because they both knew what misery the sunset would bring. Anna laid there in his arms, both of them facing the opening of the tent. This wagon was pointed in the direction of the open ocean, with no land visible as far as the eye could see. They watched as the orange glow of the sun shined its final warmth on their faces and began its descent behind the horizon. Anna tightened her grasp around his waist. "It's nearly sunset," she murmured.

He in turn also increased his hold on her and closed his eyes, trying to take in as much of this moment as he could. He wanted to remember this moment with Anna for different reasons than she did. In many ways, this interaction with her was more valuable to him in the recent past than all the riches he had acquired in the year. "You know," he said, trying to lighten the mood. "Have you ever really watched a sunset?"

She furrowed her brow. "I do not really know."

"You would know if you had," he said softly. "You would have seen the green flash."

She looked up at him. "The green flash?"

"It signals when a soul comes back to this world from the dead."

She smiled, wanting to take in every word he said, regardless of whether or not she believed it. "And have you seen it?"

"I think I did. Once. Maybe it will flash for us tonight."

Anna sat up and leaned her head upon his shoulder as they waited in silence. The sun sank lower...lower. As the last beams disappeared behind the distant waves... _flash_.

Anna gasped and sat up with a start. Edward was beaming. They looked at each other with surprise, and then extreme sadness. Edward kissed her again, and then gathered himself and climbed out of the wagon. Anna followed suit, though every step she took towards her final goodbyes weighed heavily upon her.

He turned to her. "Well, I suppose I must—"

"Must you leave?" she blurted, her voice cracking with her increasingly upset state.

He swallowed before speaking, putting a hand to her cheek. "I must."

"When will I see you again?"

He thought carefully. He pulled her into his warm embrace. "I reckon in four or five months time," he said. "If I return around then, would you be waiting for me?"

"Of course," she said. Even if her caravan were halfway across the continent, she would find a way to get back to this spot to see him once more.

Little did she know as he kissed her again that this kiss would their last. Little did she know that the emotions they felt today would never be felt again free from the ties of worry and fear. Little did she know what their brief encounter had created...little did she know.


	4. Conception, Deception

It took quite some time for Anna to realize what had happened. The caravan had moved inward towards the East at that time, and she had accounted her sudden weight gain for the intense hunger she felt. It was wintertime, the days were colder and food was harder to come by. Hunger was to be expected. But then one day an odd sensation came over he and she intuitively knew that she was pregnant. She was pregnant with Edward's child. She was pregnant with Rose.

Her first emotion was panic. She barely knew Edward, yet she was about to bear his child. A child meant another mouth to feed. How would her family react? She had never seen it firsthand, but what if they decided that Anna and her unborn bastard child had outstayed their usefulness to their community? And what would happen in five months’ time when Edward returned? Would he leave her forever, or would he stay and be a father to her child? _Oh please, let it be a boy, so that he may be of some good to his pirate captain father,_ she prayed.

Anna's initial emotions about Rose were less than positive. She stayed locked inside her wagon and cried for fear of what was to come. But then, a sudden emotion overwhelmed Anna the day she first felt her unborn child move inside her. An instinctive emotion Anna was unfamiliar with. A sudden urge to protect another person. Her child would carry her blood in its veins. It might have her eyes, her nose, her ears. What made her fall in love with the aspect of a baby was the thought of who he _might_ be. He might be rich, he might not survive, he might captain his own ship one day, he might follow in her footsteps. There was so much uncertainty in her world, yet the one certainty Anna held onto was the one certainty she _knew:_ that whoever was inside her _would_ be her child. No one else could lay claim to him except herself and Edward.

Anna had a choice, to face her fears and take responsibility for her unexpected pregnancy or starve. She spoke with the higher counsel. They were, of course, concerned about adding another living soul to their already large clan, but could not afford to lose Anna, who still remained their largest form of income. Anna was safe with the gypsies. Anna's final stipulation was that before the end of the summer, the caravan would head back to the port where she and Edward had first met. They agreed. Anna would not only be in time to tell Edward her incredible news, but she would be _early._

The time was right and the weather was warmer. Every day Anna waited for Edward to return. She tried not to get herself into a panicked state of mind over his return, or potential lack thereof, but the thought of his reaction to their child plagued her with every day the baby grew stronger inside her.

While Anna had been early to their meeting place, Edward was late. He was late by a week. And Anna tore herself up every day he failed to show himself. Finally one day, a man from her clan ran from the docks. Anna heard his cries from inside her wagon. "Desiree! Tell Anna the _Misty Lady_ has returned!" Before Desiree could give word to Anna, she was already standing outside her wagon ready to greet him.

She watched, heart racing, as he climbed up the path to their camp. He looked up and instantly locked eyes with her. She beamed. He looked weary, but happy to see her. Then...disaster. He looked down and noticed her protruding belly. His face fell and he stopped walking. As soon as Anna noticed this less than positive reaction, her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. She instead started to walk briskly toward him, hand on her stomach as she approached.

"Edward," she began warmly.

He started first. “Anna, you...Anna..." It was as though he could not comprehend what he was seeing. It was comparable to the feeling when one is walking in the dark down familiar terrain when an unfamiliarity occurs, and your entire world is shaken. Suddenly, you have no idea where you are, because everything has been thrown into tumultuous nonsense. This is only what I can assume Edward must have felt when he saw Anna heavily pregnant. All he knew was that he had gone away, and when he returned, what he expected to find was gone and would never return to the way it was.

"Edward," Anna cooed gently. "Aren't you happy to see me?" She was desperate. She had to fight to urge to blurt out every insecurity she felt from his reaction to her.

"Anna..." He couldn't stop saying her name, as though by repeating it, time could reverse. "You..."

"Yes, I'm pregnant, Edward." She said it straight out. Her heart was about to burst it pounded so hard.

He couldn't look at her. He was silent for an unbearably lengthy amount of time. Anna was about to speak in his place, when he suddenly muttered, nearly inaudibly, "Whose?"

This single utterance shook Anna to her core. This was how little he knew her. He did not know that she was not the kind to fly from man to man. The man who had fathered her child didn't even trust her.

She flared with anger. "Whose? Edward, my love, it can only be yours!"

Now, from what I have heard, I know Edward did not respond well to this news, but the stories were vague on how exactly he reacted. Now knowing him, I can honestly say I know _precisely_ what he experienced. He felt as though he had just received a blow to the chest. He stumbled backwards and put his hands to his forehead, mouth agape.

Anna rushed to him, wrapping her arms around him. "No, no my love. Please do not act this way! Please! I had no way to find you and tell you! It will be alright! I will raise the child! I promise you, we will be alright!"

For the first time, Anna heard Edward raise his voice to her. And it scared her to death. "YES _you_ will be alright! You and the child! But what of _me?_ I now have a responsibility to someone who I won't even KNOW!" He stumbled away, out of breath and leaning against the tree where they had first met.

"Won't know?" Anna cried. "WON'T KNOW? Who is to say you won't know him?"

"Anna, come now! You don't expect me to stay and play family with you! I belong on the _sea_. I cannot remain with your kind!"

"So our child is not worthy to be with his father? Is that what you are saying?"

"I...I don't know! I don't KNOW, Anna!"

Anna was hysterical. She clutched her stomach ruefully. Edward stayed still, watching her uncertainly.

She finally brought herself to words. "Would...would you have taken away a single moment we had at the cost of this baby?"

His silence answered her question before he said it; “Yes. Probably.”

She felt so betrayed. How could he say such a thing? How could he question the passion they shared?

"I have something to tell you, Anna."

_No. No!_ She knew what was about to come next would deliver the final death blow to their love.

"I'm married. I already have a son. He's seven years old." Fresh tears ran down Anna's cheeks as she sank to her knees. Edward knelt in the grass in front of her. "When we met, it had been over a year since I had seen them, and I hadn't left my wife on good terms."

"So I was your whore?" Anna spat.

"Lord no!" he knelt next to her and tried dried to dry her tears. He pulled her face inward to him, and cradled her head against his shoulder. There they sat, against that tree, for the rest of the afternoon.

Wordlessly, they watched the sun set, but there was no green flash that night. They both silently deflated at this, as though nature itself had sent word that this relationship was never meant to last.

As night fell, Edward said the last words he would ever say to Anna; "I love you, Anna. And I'm sure your child will be a fine one."

_Our child_ , Anna thought, but there was nothing she could say. She fell asleep in his arms like there, and when she awoke the next morning, a single, white rose sat in his place, with the mother of pearl pendant Anna had originally stolen from him, wrapped around the stem.

A few months later, Anna gave birth to her baby. The birth was not particularly noteworthy, as the child came into the world without much pomp or drama.

Anna asked her sister what the sex was. She began to cry when she heard it was a girl. _Worthless. A boy could have gone with him. Now I am saddled with this… a constant reminder of him._

It took Anna two weeks to name the baby. This was mostly because Desiree and the other women took care of her. They were afraid Anna would hurt the child, as she fell into a dark state of depression. But one day, Anna entered the tent where her daughter was being cared for, peered into her child's makeshift crib, and smiled.

"I'll name her Rose," she said, holding dead, dried white petals in her palm. “I’ll name her after her father's first, last, and only gift to her.


	5. Rose

From then on, Anna was fine in handling her baby, though she was hardly responsible for raising her. Anna still wished more than anything to return to her quality of life before she met Edward; flirtatious, wild, and alone. She only spent time with Rose when she felt keen to, which was not often. The clan themselves truly raised the child.

Rose grew up happily, regardless of never really having a single mother or father figure in her life, and her large family was charmed and delighted in raising her. She had the raven hair of her mother, and was consistently joyful, nor caused too much trouble. In fact, the biggest tragedy the gypsies felt toward the girl was the fact that she had not inherited her mother's striking violet eyes, but instead her father's nearly black ones. Another tragedy was that Rose had a crippling disability. She had what was known as night blindness. She couldn't see at all in times of total darkness or low light, which made it all the more vital that the gypsies keep her close by after sunset, lest they lose her forever.

The gypsies all were keen to teach her. Desiree took the most responsibility, teaching the girl the essentials of living. Some of the men would take her down to the docks to teach her how to fish and to make her more sociable, also coupling their lessons with charming vulnerable female customers. Some taught her to sew, weave, cook, forage, trade...but Anna reserved the right to teach her daughter English and how to read and write. Anna was one of two gypsies in the clan who could read and write both in French and English. "If she can read and speak English, she can get along anywhere," Anna said.

So lessons with Rose began when she was five. Rose found them unbelievably difficult to learn and retain, but they quickly became her favorite times of the day because she was eager to please her hard to please mother. For three years, these lessons persisted, and Rose was excelling rapidly, when one day, disaster struck.

A gunshot was fired inside Anna's tent, while Rose was down playing by the docks. Rose had heard the shot, but thought nothing of it and continued in her childlike bliss. It wasn't until hours later that someone from the clan came to fetch her, and led the worried child up to the bluff, where her family held silent vigil over the body of her dead mother.

A man had come to Anna's tent. He was a frequent customer, and had perused the gypsy life for a few weeks now. But that day, he entered the tent to make a statement. He shot Anna, and dragged her lifeless corpse out of the caravan and yelled to the gypsies that he was an official of the King's, and that all gypsies had to relocate from the country at once if they did not want to end up like their fallen comrade. He left before the men had returned from the docks, startled by the noise.

And that was it. Nothing noteworthy or dramatic. Anna was simply...gone. Rose had lost her mother without fully feeling the approval she so desperately desired.

Anna was buried on the bluff by the tree that she so loved and had shared with Edward. Her caravan was burned, which was perhaps the thing Rose was the most heartbroken over, as it seemed that everything that ever reminded her of her mother was inside that confinement, the warmth that she treasured so dear each night beside her.

The night they buried Anna, the chief elder and Anna's father, Loiza gave Rose a gift. A single, mother of pearl pendant. Anna never wore it, and had given it to the chief counsel to give to Rose when she was old enough. "A gift from your father," he had said. Rose pondered who that man might be. No one, not even Anna herself, had mentioned him but in passing. All she knew was that he was a pirate, and that for some reason, he never wanted to see her.

The gypsies argued for some time on how to respond to the threat the government had presented them with. Some said they should stay and fight, while others opted to obey and move south to Spain. The final consensus was to pack and move, lest more of their already small clan perish in the fighting.

They had not moved fast enough, however. For in two weeks time, French officials were waiting at the border to arrest the clan.

Gypsies are weak when separated. The French knew this, and split the group in half, taking them away in separate prison carts. Rose was, thankfully, in the group with Desiree, but as it was night when they attacked, she could not see anything and had no idea what was transpiring.

When Desiree found her, they clung to each other.

"What's happened?" Rose asked her.

She could tell her aunt was crying. "The bad men took them away...all of them."

"Who's left?"

"We are, _ma cherie_ , we are."

* * *

 

They took one cart away into the mountains, while the cart Desiree and Rose were captive aboard stayed close to the coast. They arrived at a coast city Rose did not recognize, and were one by one filed out, standing before a jeering crowd on a wooden platform. They had separated the men in the gypsy from women, and this particular crowd consisted of buyers for merchant ships and housework. In this particular case, the buyers were at a women's auction and would be searching for house labor.

That was when Desiree and Rose were separated. An armed official pried their hands apart, shoving Rose to the left and leading Desiree to the right.

"Rose?" yelled Desiree. "ROSE! No! Unhand me!" she cried, her fighting to avail against the guard.

"Desiree!" Rose screamed, running back to her, but a man stepped in between them and forced the child to turn back, pushing her into a pen with about a dozen other girls her age, most crying, all frightened. Rose craned her neck around the man who had put her here, just in time to see her aunt's hand stretch out to her, then disappear in a crowd.

That was the last time Rose and Desiree ever saw each other.

As quickly as Rose had entered the enclosure, she left, for a burly, hairy man approached the cage and pointed to six girls, including Rose. Those girls were led out and tied together, heading towards the shoreline. Rose overheard the man say to an armed guard, "Aye, the sugar plantations in the Caribbean need small hands to do the work well!"

The Caribbean? But that was so far away! She would being separated by an ocean from her family. She knew it was hopeless to ever find them again. Rose began to sob bitterly, when the horrible man shoved her, commanding her to cease her noise.

The whimpering girls were led to the docks, where a great big merchant ship loomed before them. They were made to ascend the gangplank, and Rose noted that this was the first ship she had ever sailed on. She watched the commotion as man by man passed, rolling barrels, hoisting ropes, tying knots, and carrying crates passed by, all speaking a language she did not understand.

All of a sudden, her world was shrouded in darkness, as the girls were lead under the deck into the brig. Rose became completely blind, but could tell by the sound and stench that somewhere around fifteen other children were being held, not counting Rose and her party. Rose was pushed around side, not one crewman understanding that she could not see at all, and soon her wrists were bound to a chain, and she was a prisoner.

Rose struggled to sit to the floor and began to cry softly again. Twelve years old, and completely alone. 

Now, do not despair, readers. While this was a very tragic time for Rose, I assure you, her life because of the strange coincidence I am about to relate to you becomes all the more rich because of the tragedy she has just endured.


	6. Jack

Rose could not tell in the darkness about who exactly was in the brig with her. Certain voices sounded deeper than others, so she assumed young people of all ages were being kept here.

The ship started to move that afternoon, sending crates in the brig flying across the room from side to side. Was Rose not sitting, she would have become dreadfully sick, but instead leaned her head against the wood, closed her eyes, and tried to go to sleep.

When she did finally doze off, she had the nightmare regarding her mother described in the beginning of this ledger. She awoke with a start, sobbing. She heard the clinks and clanks of chains as a body approached her. She begged for him to just leave her alone, but he was determined.

"Hello," he had said. "It's alright. You don't have to be afraid. My name's Jack!"

Rose turned her head towards where he voice was coming from, but said nothing.

"Do you speak English?" the voice named Jack asked.

She gulped, but still chose to remain silent, hoping still that he would go away.

Instead, he sat next to her. "Well, I s'pose _that's_ a 'no.'" He paused, and Rose almost thought he had given up when he asked, "How old are you?"

She said nothing.

"Oh, right," said Jack. "Forgot...bout the whole...language thing. Hmm. Well...this is uncomfortable."

Rose settled back into her spot again, and kept her eyes straight ahead. As she couldn't see, she couldn't tell that he was waving his hand in front of her face. "Oi?" he said. "Can you not see?"

Rose turned to where his voice was coming from. "Not in the dark," she said softly.

"Ah! So she does speak! I was beginning to think you were deaf as well, and then I _really_ would have felt bad."

Rose was uncertain what to make of this Jack fellow, and turned back to her corner.

"How old are you?" Jack asked again. "I'll keep askin' until you answer me. How old are you?"

"Twelve," Rose murmured. She supposed the polite thing to do would be to ask his age. "How old are you?" she asked.

"Just a little older," he replied merrily. "Twenty."

Rose furrowed her brow. "Why are you so...happy?"

He laughed. "Why are _you_ so miserable?"

She started to cry again. "Because...my family...they're all gone and my mother—"

"Hey, now," Jack said, reaching out and touching her shoulder. "I didn't mean to upset you. You shouldn't be so gloomy. That's why I came over here at all."

"Why?"

He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Because we're getting out of here!"

Rose gasped, "How?"

Jack responded, "Magic!"

"I don't believe you."

"Why not?"

"There's no such thing."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, lass. I have seen some amazing things! Things that you'll never believe! But I have a bit o' magic in me, and I have people coming to save us!"

"When?"

"Soon. And you can go back home and find your family!"

Rose was crestfallen. "But I can't," she said. "They separated all of us."

Jack sighed, then drew a more somber note. "I know," he said. "They're unbelievably horrible that way. You were a gypsy, weren't you?"

She nodded.

"Then we're the same. I'm a pirate!"

Rose's eyes widened. "A pirate? Then you _do_ have friends!"

He grinned. "Every word's the truth, love!"

"But," Rose said sadly, "I don't have friends. I won't know how to get back."

"Well consider that you have a friend now. And when we get rescued, you'll all go straight to Tortuga. And you can go anywhere from Tortuga!”

"Tortuga?"

"A pirate island that has everything you can think of!"

"But when will we get rescued?"

"Don't you fret. It will be any day now."

Rose settled back down, next to her new friend Jack, mind aflutter. She wanted to believe his story, but how could it be true?

"Hey," Jack said just before she went back to sleep. "What's your name?"

"Rose.

"Nice to meet you, Rose."

* * *

 

The following weeks brought chaos. The little amount of light provided by the day still caused Rose to be totally blind in the holding bay. It was hurricane season, and the tiny ship was just on the outskirts of the tremendous storm, which sent water splashing from above to the brig below. The children were soggy and hungry, but they took the opportunity to collect the rainwater and drank it. Also with the morning came food, which presented itself in one of the later mornings during the voyage in the form of a hard cracker. The sailor in charge of feeding them simply tossed it in, leaving the starving children scrambling and fighting over who got what.

"Oi! Enough enough enough!" Jack yelled, breaking up the fight. The children's noise suddenly ceased, and they were attentive on Jack. "Listen up, all of you! We have to be civil, and _share_ nicely! What's become of the lot of ye? Manners, my people! Now, I'll take this," Rose heard the crack of the bread break into several pieces, and Jack dispersed the lot to each child, and all was at peace. "Now may we _please_ have some decorum?"

Rose's heart sank when she realized that Jack had forgotten her. But just then, a weight fell onto her lap. She reached for it, and happily realized that Jack had delivered after all. He sat next to her again, chewing on a piece of his own.

"We got the largest bits," Jack whispered, "But don't tell anyone."

Rose smiled, and ate happily, although it was the most chalky thing she had ever eaten in her life.

"So tell me, Rose," Jack said between bites. "How did you get to be in such a place as this?”

Rose looked down at her lap, growing sullen. "Do you not wish to talk about it?" he asked. She shook her head.

"Well," he said. "Let me tell you about myself then. I've been just about everywhere and done everything..."

Rose perked up. "Where have you been?"

She could feel Jack smile. "Name a place."

"France?"

"That's where you're from?"

She nodded.

"Well I've been there. I've been just about everywhere, but me specialty is the Caribbean. Seen great big sea monsters, and terrible, ghastly pirates, and mermaids—"

"Mermaids?" Rose asked. She had heard about mermaids from stories, but could never fathom actually seeing one.

"Let me tell you," Jack said, "They are as pretty as everyone says, but don't ever listen to them sing. They'll make you insane!"

The afternoon passed like that and swelled into evening. Rose was at peace just listening to Jack's incredible tales, not even bargaining with herself on whether or not to believe them, though, miraculously, they were all true. They took her on his adventures in her mind, and that made her all the brighter.

That night, when Rose began to get tired, he ended one of his tales early to allow the child to get the rest she so desperately needed. He let her lean up against him and fall asleep on his shoulder.

Just when he thought she was out cold, she sleepily asked, "Are your friends here yet?"

"Not yet," he said quietly.

 _Oh please,_ he prayed. _Get here soon._

* * *

 

The next morning was when Jack saw Rose's pendant. The daylight had broken through the clouds, allowing Jack to see the necklace more clearly.

He froze. "What's that?" he asked her.

"What?"

"That necklace. Where did you get it?"

Rose touched the pendent, and her face fell once more. "My mother gave it to me."

Jack turned to the child, trying not to push too hard and hide the urgency with which he spoke. "Yes but where did _she_ get it?"

Rose looked toward him. "My father."

It was a long time before Jack spoke again. "And...where is your father?"

"I don't know. He's a pirate, so he could be anywhere."

"What does he look like?"

"I don't know. I have never met him."

"Does he know about you?"

"I don't know! Mama never talked about him much."

"And who is your mother?"

Rose furrowed her brow. "Why do you want to know?"

Jack backed off a little. He was getting too interrogative. "Just...I'm tired of talking about me. I want to get to know you."

This was a sufficient answer for Rose. "Her name was Anna."

"Was?"

Rose shook her head, eyes filling with tears. "A man killed her."

There was a pause, then Jack touched her arm. "I'm so sorry."

Rose swallowed her grief, then continued. "Mama gave this to Loiza to give to me when I was older. He said it came from my father, and is very special because there isn't anything like it."

Jack nodded slowly. "I bet there's not," he said, touching the identical pendant that hung around his belt. "I bet there's not."


	7. The Magic

A blast startled the children out of their sleep that night. Some screamed, some questioned it, but Rose whooped with joy.

"The magic?" she asked Jack.

"The magic!" he said. "Oi!" he called to the children, silencing their hysteria. "We're all being rescued!” This caused the room to become aflutter. "But wait! Shh! Hold on! Shut it!" he cried, once again regaining control. "I need you all to stay very quiet! You, Tiny!" he called out to a boy Rose later found out was quite large for his size, "We're going to wait by the port door. They're going to start coming quick because this is where they keep their cannons. When the first man comes down, I'll knock him out with this beam, while you search his pockets for a key. Savvy?"

Just at that moment, frantic footsteps came scrambling down the stairs. Jack silenced everyone, waited for the door to open, then BAM! The children laughed and cheered when Jack knocked him down. The robust child known as Tiny searched for keys, but found none.

But as soon as this failure was discovered, another man was one his way. BAM! Once again, Tiny looked, and a key was discovered. Jack yanked the key out, jiggled it into his shackles, and they released him! The children cheered again, but Jack wasted no time in racing back to Rose to free her. Once he did, he handed the key to Tiny. "You're a good chap, mate. Free yourself and the others, then go hide in the cargo hold. I'll be back for you!" he ordered. He then hoisted Rose up, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, and they were off.

Rose could not tell what was happening, as it was just barely dawn and she still could not see. But her body jolted with Jack's as he swerved to avoid people, kicked and hollered at the other ship. "Oi! Over here! Oi!"

He set Rose down in the corner of the ship and boxed her in, telling her to stay put. He then drew a sword of a passerby and began to fight defensive sailors as they came by. Rose was scared beyond her wits, but was glad she could not see the fight that was occurring. Some things were better left to the imagination. Still, she jumped at every cannon blast, and she searched with her mind’s eye for Jack.

Finally, after about what seemed to be a half hour of fighting, the noise died down. Rose's eyesight was beginning to recover, and she could make out silhouettes of what was going on. The main sail of the ship had been ruthlessly marred, and now pirates from the attacking ship were taking ropes and leaping over onto the merchant vessel, going hand to hand with the few last slave ship sailors they could find. These pirates were unlike anything she had ever seen, and instead of being frightened of them, she was intrigued. Her sense of adventure was sparked, and she wished she was big enough to join in the fighting. A large plank was lowered, and a hefty pirate led the children to scurry across it onto the safety of the pirate ship. Rose wondered if she too should flee, but Jack told her specifically not to move.

But just as she started to second guess him, she heard, "Rose! Rose!" she turned to the voice, and saw Jack for the first time. She was uncertain whether or not it truly was him at first, because he looked nothing like what she expected; dark eyes, scruffy hair tied back with a red bandana, unnaturally dark makeup around the eyes, and the beginnings of a beard. He held out his hand to her, which was adorned with a variety of cloth ties and rings. "Rose!" he cried. "It's me, Rose. Come on, let's go!"

Rose took his hand, and he hoisted her up again, grabbing a line. "Don't look down," he yelled, and they soared across the waters and landed haphazardly on the other side. Rose was awestruck at the enormity of this vessel. It was brightly colored and intricate in design and form.

Jack let her go and ran to the helm, cutlass hoisted high above his head. "Retreat men! Back to the ship! Give her another broadside and she'll go down with the tide! Leave no survivors!" They took his orders and blasted the ship again and again until it was riddled with cannon blasts. The ship finally did sink, after this last effort.

The men celebrated on deck after the ship had cascaded into the depths below. Jack went back to Rose. "See?" he told her, breathless. "Magic!"

"Magic!" she cried. "I didn't know you were a pirate captain!"

Jack looked impressed. "Well, I wasn't going to say anything, but I..." His voice trailed off when he realized that no one else on board was speaking. He looked behind him and stared directly ahead at another man. This man was older, but looked similar to Jack in that they had a similar style and a similar way of carrying themselves. This man had long hair that was tied together, the dark makeup poring into the skin around his eyes, his coal black eyes which reminded Rose of someone she knew.

"No survivors?" this man asked Jack. " _No survivors?_ Please tell me that wasn't you that made that decree."

Jack pursed his lips. "It was, _Captain."_

So _this_ was the captain. The Captain pointed out to the sea. "Then what do you call that?"

Jack squinted over the water to where the Captain was referring. On a piece of wreckage, bobbing in the water, was one last sailor, floating on the tide. Jack gulped. "A...floaty...thing?" he replied weakly.

"That 'floaty thing,' is also known as 'a survivor,'" the Captain growled, "And that survivor can float until he hails help from another merchant ship. He then can take back word to his employers about which ship attacked him, and we could have an entire fleet after us within the week." Jack grimaced, as the Captain took his pistol out of its sheath. "Thankfully," he said, aiming the pistol at the survivor, "That won't happen." He pulled the trigger, which caused several of the children to whimper and jump.

Jack looked shocked. "What did you do that for?" he asked.

"You ordered 'no survivors,'" the Captain retorted. "That is not an order that should be taken lightly. And see? We could have all been dead. And for what? A group of orphan gypsies and an insolent boy who cannot stay out of Spanish brothels!”

Jack grinned and winked at a pirate standing near him. "It was actually a convent," he said under his breath.

"Silence!" the Captain roared. "I should have let them take you all the way to Cuba so you could find your own way off that blasted plantation! Teach you a much-needed lesson. And what do you expect me to do with all of these children now?"

"We're taking them to Tortuga," Jack replied.

"Are we? Because last I recall I did not order that, as the captain. My heading was in the opposite direction. Now we have to alter course because of _your_ insolence?"

"Trust me, sir," Jack said, grinning cockily. "I think you're glad you came to rescue this group."

"I had better be," the captain said to him. Then, to the crew. "Make way for Tortuga!" Turning once more to Jack, he said, "And I'll be seeing you in my cabin." Then he walked away, amidst the commotion on deck.

Jack gave an order to one of the men to see to the children that they got a proper meal and a place to rest. He then came back to Rose and took her by the hand.

"Come on, Rose," he said. "You're going to meet the Captain."


	8. Teague

Rose didn't particularly want to meet the Captain. The Captain frightened her. Why was Jack so intent on taking her with him? Rose began to drag her feet, for she wanted nothing to do with this.

Jack only tugged at her harder, leading her into the cabin. It was dark, lit only by a few scarce candles, and in the corner by the windows, Rose could just barely make out the silhouette of the Captain. His presence was like a thick tree, domineering and unwavering.

Jack was furious and Rose could feel it. He stormed right up to him dragging her right behind him and stopped suddenly, pulling her between them.

Teague looked down at Rose, and Rose felt her body tremble with his glare. "What's this?" he asked Jack.

"Hmm," Jack replied sardonically. "Funny you should ask what this is. _This,"_ he said, motioning to Rose, "Is Rose...do you have a last name?"

"No," Rose replied.

"No?"

"No."

"Well, you're in for quite the surprise, Rose!” Jack said, looking back at the Captain, who narrowed his eyes in response. "Stop wasting my time, Jack. We have important matters to discuss."

"None as important as this," Jack curtly remarked. "Who's Anna?"

Rose's heart fluttered. What was Jack doing?

The captain narrowed his eyes. "Who?"

"I said, who's Anna?"

The captain shook his head. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"No?" Jack said. He knelt next to Rose. "Rose, my dear, I'm going to have to borrow your necklace, but I'll give it back I swear."

Rose initially objected, but was persuaded to let it off her neck. She then was dumbfounded by what happened next. Jack reached into his shirt, and pulled a nearly identical pendant from around his neck. He fit the two pieces together perfectly.

"Indonesian pendents," Jack said, staring at the Captain. "Unique. None other like them. One for Mother and one for you. Tell me, where's yours?"

The Captain's eyes bore straight into Jack's, but Jack returned the look with grace, still holding the connected pendents together.

Rose didn't understand what was happening, and was starting to get upset. "Jack?" she asked quietly.

He knelt down, disconnecting the pendents and returning hers to her neck and his to his own. "I'm sorry, Rose. Let me get you up to speed. That man," he said, motioning toward the Captain, "Is named Edward Teague. That man is your father."

Rose looked at Teague, mouth agape. This man could not possibly be her father.

"Teague," Jack said, looking up at him, "Meet your daughter!”

Teague shook his head. "That gypsy changeling is no child of mine."

"Look at her!" Jack ordered. Rose looked down at the floor, trembling. Jack grabbed her chin and yanked upwards. “Look at her!”

Rose now had no choice but to look at Teague, her heart racing so fast. His eyes were cold and sad, his arms were crossed in firm retaliation. “…Jackie. I…have nothing to say."

"I didn't say speak to _me_ , I said LOOK AT HER!"

Teague ultimately _did_ look at her, his eyes as cold as stone. "What about it?"

"What about it?" repeated Jack with surprise. "What _about_ it? You really don't care, do you?"

"You are taking a name and the word of a little girl as your point! This is a ridiculous!" cried Teague, stepping toward them.

"The pendent?" Jack shouted. "That is no coincidence! You promised Mother that these were to be shared between the two of you!”

"Gypsies are wanderers that make many liaisons. Any man could be her father."

"She looks exactly like you! She is your daughter!”

"Jack, I'm a pirate—"

“That’s no excuse!” Jack hollered. “She has no one left! Anna was killed and her group was attacked!”

Rose watched her father’s jaw tighten and he looked away wordlessly, pondering over this. She couldn’t read his reaction, but he did appear visibly jarred by this information.

Jack hoisted Rose up so that she had to wrap her arms around his neck again. "I will be laying anchor at Tortuga with Rose and the others. If you won't be there for her, _I will._ "

"Jack!" Teague called after them as they left. "Jack! You won't defy me again! Get back here—" The slamming door sealed his last words after them.

Jack took her back to his quarters, which was barely the size of a closet. Hung up around the place were drawings, knick knacks, and maps with writing all over them. Jack set Rose down on a chair near his bed, where he sat, head in his hands. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way, Rose," he said quietly. "But he had to know."

"Jack I don't understand," Rose said, on the verge of tears. "I understand about the pendent, but you said that another woman had the other..."

He paused, touching the stone around his neck. "She threw it after she got into a fight with him. I picked it up and kept it for her because I knew how unique it was. Except for the fact that he gave his away to your mother."

"Who is _she?_ "

Jack gave a sad smile. " _My_ mother."

Rose widened her eyes. "Teague is...your father too?" Jack nodded. "You're my brother," she said slowly.

"Half-brother," he said. "Yes I suppose I am. A sister I never knew I had." They spent the next few moments in silent contemplation, looking at the floorboards.

Rose spoke first. "You must hate my mother."

"No," said he. "I'm sure she didn't know."

"Not all gypsies are bad," Rose said.

"They are sort of...pirates of the land," he said.

Rose looked up with surprise. To her young eyes, pirates were far more powerful and dangerous than gypsies. "What do you mean?"

“Alright, alright. Let me explain," said he. "The honest men and women to society see you gypsies as a lower species, seeing and- your sensitive ego forgive me for saying this, but you _are_ a generally dishonest folk. Whether it’s right or wrong pertaining to your group, it’s the truth, eh?”

She nodded.

“You, as gypsies, prefer to be amongst your similar friends, eh?”

“Yes…” she said uncertainly.

“Therefore, seeing as the honest men and women to society think of pirates as lowly species-es as well, you gypsies prefer to live amongst your similar friends, the pirates! Savvy?” He nodded, satisfied.

“I suppose…” Rose said again, warily.

“Hence, you gypsies most likely have observed pirate ways and taken some of them to heart. Yes?”

“Sure…”

“And, if I know pirates at all, _they lie._ Constantly. Unceasingly, it seems. They will do anything to win, to be the best, to get the treasure. _Anything.”_

 _"I'm_ not like that," Rose said with certainty.

"Perhaps not. It's not for everyone," he said. "But I ask you, was your mother like that?" Rose thought long and hard before she answered. Before she could, he added, "There must have been _something_ that attracted her to him and him to her, eh?"

This was difficult for Rose to grasp, but she considered it. Maybe her mother wasn't the saint she had venerated her to be. Could both of her parents be swindlers just for their own selfish gains?

"Our father," Rose said finally, "Is undoubtedly worse than my mother."

"Agreed," Jack said.

"Why would he want nothing to do with me?" she asked him softly. "If they loved each other, what would make him do such a thing?"

"Crimes of the heart," Jack scoffed, "Nary a soul can comprehend. It matters not anyhow."

"But what will become of it?"

Jack shrugged carelessly. "I've been alright on my own before. Now will not be any different." He smiled. "And now I've got you!"

In spite of herself, Rose smiled as well. It felt good to have a brother. "But what will we do at Tortuga?" she asked.

He got a playful gleam in his eye as he said, "It will take a few years, but we'll have a place of our own soon."

"How?"

"I'm in love," Jack grinned.

Rose leaned closer. "With who?"

He whispered, "The _Black Pearl_."


	9. Tortuga

Rose’s dreams haunted her again. Though the only visual present were two large eyes, they soon revealed themselves to be the harsh eyes of her father. Rose’s body began to shake as they burned with hatred. _Rose,_ their fearsome voices cried out. She shook again. _Rose!_

“Rose!” Jack said, shaking her shoulder gently. She awoke, catching her breath. “You alright?”

She nodded quickly, trying to behave in a normal fashion once again and rubbing sleep from her eyes.

“We’re here,” continued Jack, grabbing his provisions and extending a hand Rose’s way to help her up from the makeshift bed she had fashioned.

“Tortuga?” she asked.

“Aye!” he grinned. “And if ye don’t mind, I’d rather be rid of this place sooner than later, so if we could just hop-to. I’ve already seen the other children off. It’s our turn now!”

It took a moment for Rose’s eyes to adjust to the glaring sunlight on deck, but she continued to keep pace with her half-brother as he made his way toward the gangplank, occasionally bidding a gallant farewell to certain members of the disgruntled crew. Suddenly, Rose felt an urge to look behind her. Towards the helm stood Teague, watching his children descend, expression unreadable. Rose slowed her pace to a stop, swallowing the disapproval she felt radiating from him.

“Rose?” said Jack, stirring her from her thoughts. “Keep up please.”

She nodded and looked back at Teague once more, but he had turned away. She found herself wishing that he had tried to stop them from leaving. It was Rose’s last chance to have a family and a home. No matter how dysfunctional, she ached for permanence.

Tortuga was unlike any place Rose had ever seen. For the next hour, Jack was her tour guide, leading her from the docks to the town. Jack loved this place, and Rose could tell by his enthusiasm. He gave her helpful tips of which places to avoid, some basics of the Pirate Code, and general life advice:

“Never trust a pirate, Rose. Always assume he is out to swindle and otherwise cheat you of something in the long run.”

“If you ever hear of a bloke named Fitch looking for me, the answer is ‘Never heard of him,’ ‘He’s settled his debt with your lawyer,’ or ‘I heard he went to Singapore and died of the measles,’ understood?”

They came upon a square full of competing taverns as day began its transition into night, and thirsty pirates from the docks began to assemble into these facilities looking for mischief and plenty of rum. Jack first led Rose up to the steps of a tavern named _The Faithful Bride._ Jack stopped, looking at the wooden sign swinging in the evening breeze, smiling thoughtfully. He then continued on to the next building, leaving Rose confused as to why Jack wouldn’t enter the first.

She quickly forgot her bewilderment upon entering _McHenry’s._ The tavern had just barely opened, and yet already it was filled with upwards of fifty men, hollering, singing, brawling, and generally bringing the surrounding noise to a crescendo of cacophonous mayhem. Rose narrowly avoided a bottle of whiskey that was thrown from some unknown area of the bar, and Jack hurriedly grabbed her by the shoulders and steered her in front of him, keeping her close. They came to a crashing halt as Rose nearly collided with a torso directly in her face. Looking up, she saw a bearded man swaying, already a bit tipsy from the evening’s festivities.

“Oi!” the man cried, slurring his speech. “Donniknow ye?”

Jack smiled amicably, patting the man on the shoulder. “‘Fraid not, mate! Must have me confused with someone else.” He then directed Rose out of the way of the drunk fellow.

But the man was relentless. “No, yer Cap’n Jack! Inevaferget a face!” he cried after them.

Jack turned back to him. “The name’s Smith, lad.” He leaned over to Rose, muttering, “When in doubt, your last name is always ‘Smith.’”

“Smith my left foot!” the man continued to holler, causing several pirates to take notice. “Yer name’s—“

Jack didn’t let him finish that thought, for he pulled his pistol on the fellow, saying calmly, “I’m going to give you one last chance to walk away, mate.”

The fellow was wise enough in his stupor to take heed, teetering off to bother some other unfortunate soul. As Jack and Rose continued to make their way through the bar, Jack explained, “I have quite the reputation, and we don’t want any trouble now.”

He stopped her when they got to the bar. Jack pulled a stool and hoisted Rose up so that she could see over the tall wooden structure. He then whistled for the barmaid to come over toward him. Upon seeing him, her face lit up, and she rushed over to greet him.

“I knew you’d be back for me!” she cried, her blonde hair bobbing in its elaborate up-do. “You promised that you’d take me on your ship months ago!”

Jack grinned deviously. “And only a few more months yet, lass! But I come here on another errand altogether.”

She bit her lip seductively. “Oh,” said she. “What _sort_ of errand? Does it involve my room or yours?”

“Actually, it involves the room of your employer.”

The girl looked taken aback at this. “That’s a little unorthodox, but we could make it work…”

Jack pursed his lips. “As flattered as I am by your tenacity, I’m afraid I mean a different sort of errand entirely. This,” he said, motioning to Rose, “Is a petite friend of mine. Say hello!”

Rose politely nodded. “Hello!”

The girl leaned across the bar, smiling at Rose. “How adorable you are! And what’s your name? Mine’s Veronica!”

“Rose Teague,” Rose instinctively replied, then stopped once she heard Jack wince.

He leaned over to her, saying under his breath, “When in doubt, your name is _Smith. SMITH!”_

Veronica shot a warning look back at Jack. “She’s not… _yours,_ is she?”

“Hardly,” Jack replied. “A gypsy orphan I rescued. Her mother tragically died in a shipwreck, her father of a broken heart. She has not a friend in the world… ButI wonder…”  
“What?” Veronica asked, gripped by Jack’s lies.

“No no,” he said with a dramatic flair, “It’s too much of me to ask.”

“No, what is it?”

“Well, perhaps… Perhaps she could work here?”

“Here?” Veronica scoffed. “This is no place for a child, Jack.”

“Nor is it a place for a lovely lass like yourself,” Jack said charmingly.

She blushed, waving him off. “Oh now! I simply couldn’t ask the master to take her on!”

“You told me at our last rendezvous that you and Marie were stretched too thin here! I’m offering you another hand! All she needs is a roof over her head, Veronica! Look at the poor child!”

Veronica did look at Rose, and gave a pitying glance her way. “Alright,” she said. “I’ll speak to McHenry now. But I make no promises!”

After she had walked a safe distance away, Rose finally had the chance to ask Jack all of the many questions she had on her mind due to this encounter.   
“You want to get rid of me?” she began.

“No no! Not at all! I’ll explain soon.”

“I don’t want to work here, Jack. I don’t know the first thing about serving anyone!”

“It’s fine! You’ll learn quickly!”

“Jack!”

“Shhh!”

Veronica had returned. She said happily, “Well, lucky for the both of you, McHenry’s had a bit too much to drink this afternoon. I can simply tell him he accepted your proposal in the morning, and he’ll have no choice but to comply!”

“You’re certain?” Jack asked with concern.

“Of course!” she replied. “This happens all the time. How else do you think we got that bloody chandelier that’s always drippin’ wax on everybody?”

Jack put his hand atop hers. “How can I ever thank you?”

She grinned. “I think I know a way… What are you doing tonight?”

Jack looked at Rose. “I’m a little busy tonight, but I promise you the first ride aboard the _Black Pearl_ once it is finally mine! A few months at most, I promise!”

She looked slightly disappointed, but nodded anyways. “That’s fine I suppose…” she said. Looking to Rose, she added, “Don’t you worry, lass. Marie and me will get you all caught up on all you have to know! Come by late tonight and we’ll get your bed ready.”

Rose tried her best to look appreciative, but she was too wrought with worry to completely pull it off. What was Jack doing, and why all of a sudden was she a prisoner to people she didn’t even know? She had just escaped a slave ship to become someone else’s slave.

* * *

After leaving the tavern, Jack had led Rose to a secluded beach just outside the town. Only a few crabs skittered here and there, and there were no other signs of life to disturb them. Jack built a fire on the beach so that Rose could see in the dark, and once it had grown to considerably strong, she finally found it in her to ask Jack once and for all what had just transpired. “You must explain to me why you are leaving me here with those…people.”

Jack looked over at her. “I need to retrieve the _Black Pearl,”_ he began.

“Then take me with you!” she pleaded. “We’ve only just met and already you’re leaving me alone on a strange place with people I don’t know.”

“You’ll be safe here!”

“I can be safe with you!” she protested.

“No, you can’t,” he insisted. “Rose, you have no idea what awaits me. I have to make a deal with Davy Jones himself to raise my old ship from the depths of the sea. I’m to rename her the _Black Pearl_. Jones is not to be trifled with!”

“I won’t get in the way, I promise!”

“He’s immortal! His face is all…slimy and…tentacly. He’s been cursed because he is so evil!”

Rose looked down at her lap ruefully. “I don’t believe you,” she said. “You’re making it all up to scare me.”

“I’m not, I promise! Rose, I haven’t lied to you at all since—“

“You just did lie!” she cried. “You promised that you would stay with me! I’ve lost everyone I ever knew!”

Seeing how upset she was, Jack lowered his tone and inched closer to his young sister. “I know none of this has been easy for you, nor will it be easy. But I _promise,_ on my honor, on my life even, that I will return for you. And when I do we will sail the seas…for an eternity if that’s what you wish!”

Rose laughed in spite of her anxiety. “We can’t live _forever,”_ she reasoned.

“Don’t count that out, love. I’m Captain Jack Sparrow! Nothing is impossible for me!”

Rose smiled, then grew pensive. “Why did you bother, Jack? When you learned that our father was unfaithful and I am his daughter, you could have just left me with the other children. But you didn’t. Why?”

He smiled. “You didn’t ask for any of this. And methinks you and me inherited all the good bits of Teague, if there even _is_ such a thing.”

Rose’s chest felt heavy, for she already felt how much she was going to miss Jack even though he sat right at her side. “For how long will you be gone?” she asked.

Jack did some calculations in his mind, then stated, “One year at most. Be polite to your employers, do as your told and no harm will come to you! On my word, one year, and you’re sure to see black sails in that harbor!”

Rose nodded. She supposed that she could wait a year for Jack to get his ship and a crew. Once he had secured his position as captain of a formidable ship, he would retrieve her and fulfill his promise. Then she would be with her family once more. “Alright,” she agreed.

“That’s a good girl,” Jack said. “One last thing while it’s on me mind,” he continued, holding up his half of their matching pendant. “Never ever tell anyone how we’re related,” he said. “Every pirate worth his weight in gold comes through Tortuga, and many of them aren’t all too fond of me. Knowing that we’re brother and sister can be used against us, and the last thing I want is for you to fall into danger, savvy?”

She nodded understandingly, then stared back into the fire, taking in her final moments with her brother before he would inevitably have to walk her back to _McHenry’s_ , leave her with Veronica who would ultimately show her around her new home, and then leave her with the words, “Look for black sails in that harbor…”

* * *

 

Rose blinked awake, peering out the shades of the window next to her. _Dawn._ She grinned, slipping on her flat shoes and grabbing her day gown, tip-toeing lightly as not to wake Marie and Veronica, the other barmaids who were asleep in their cots around her.

She successfully made it out to the hallway without having stirred either of them, for which she celebrated silently. There was no time to lose, however, and she quickly had to pull the light green dress she had grabbed over her head and secure it in place, giving no concern for the state of her wild dark hair.

Though the old door outside the kitchen creaked loudly on its hinges when she put weight on it, she was able to still move stealthily enough that she was swiftly outside the tavern and on her way to the cliffside without anyone having noticed her. She broke into a run, racing upwards. _Today could be the day..._

As she grew closer to the cliff which overlooked the busy docks, she began to see encounter more people. The docks were always busy no matter what time of day it was, but the areas surrounding the town were deserted in the morning. As she began to see familiar faces of various townspeople she had come to know, she slowed her pace for the sake of maintaining decency, though her heart still raced with excitement. Finally, once she continued up a steep part of the hill that in moments would overlook the harbor completely, she sprinted, feeling the sea air whip her hair straight back. She suddenly stopped once she reached the spot.

 _Black sails, black sails..._ She scanned the harbor looking for the ship with black sails...to no avail. The slightest twinge of disappointment creeped into her, but she quickly suppressed it as soon as she felt it. She'd be back at sunset, as was her daily habit.

She hadn't missed a day looking for the _Black Pearl_ in three years, ever since the day Jack had left her here with his promise to come back to her.

Rose was fifteen...and Jack was two years late.


	10. Waiting

"Rose!" a husky albeit shrill voice snapped. "Always shirking yer chores in the mornin'! Get yerself to the kitchen at once, ye worthless, blasted..."

Rose stopped listening there. She had learned to shut her mind off from hearing the insults slung her way by Mrs. McHenry. McHenry and his wife meant well, but they were not adept at caring for a girl her age, let alone for two years more than they ever expected to care for her.

Rose did not increase her pace, though Mrs. McHenry's orders persisted. She _did_ start listening again once the burly woman grabbed Rose by her hair sharply. "And fix this dirty mane of yers!" she barked. "Though me customers are being served by a no-account gypsy orphan, they don't need to be made aware of this straight off!"

Mrs. McHenry released her, and Rose mumbled a begrudging, "Yes ma'am," and rubbed her scalp. As she entered the kitchen through the creaky door, her eyes met a pair of gleaming ones.

"What are _you_ smiling about?" she growled.

The owner of the eyes was a boy her age, with short brown hair and a happy face. His name was Benjamin McHenry, and he was the son of the tavern keeper, Mr. McHenry. "She caught you again," he said.

"And this gives you glee?"

Ben smiled again, "Why don't you just fix your hair straight off in the morning? It'll at least save you the pain of her pulling it out for you!"

"It's not that..." she muttered.

"Oh don't let her get to you!" said Ben, nudging her shoulder encouragingly. "Josephine is all bark and no bite!" Josephine McHenry was not Ben's mother. His mother had died in childbirth, taking his unborn brother with her when he was only three. His father had remarried not four years later, though Ben was personally not a fan of his step-mother. "You should know that by now!" said he.

Rose shook her head, looking up at him. "No, it's not Josephine."

Ben nodded understandingly. "The _Black Pearl,_ isn't it?"

She shook her head sadly. "It's been so long...you don't reckon he's in any _danger_ do you?"

He shrugged. "We can't be sure." He treaded carefully on his next question to Rose, already anticipating her reaction. "I'm only worried that...perhaps, he's...forgotten?"

Just as he suspected, Rose sharply turned to him. "Jack would never forget me!" she firmly stated. "He won't go back on his word! He swore!"

Ben backed away. "Alright!" he said supportively. "Then if that's what you think, I'm sure he'll be here soon!"

"I'm sorry," said Rose guiltily. "I just...I can't take much more of this place."

"Neither can I," he replied. He looked around, then lowered his voice. "Does your offer still stand?"

Rose grinned. "Yes!" she cried. "When Jack finally comes, you simply must come with me!"

"Come with you where?" a gruff voice interjected.

Rose and Ben were startled by the sudden appearance of Mr. McHenry. Both began to stammer, searching for a lie until Rose finally said, "To...the docks! To fetch the new barrel shipment!"

Rose knew that this lie was at least valid, for it was Ben's daily duty to go down to the docks and fetch barrel after barrel of wine and liquor to restock the bar for the evening.

Mr. McHenry furrowed his bushy, grey eyebrows at this. "Who said _you_ could go?" said he to Rose.

Rose opened her mouth, though no answer surfaced.

"I did, Father!" Ben said on her behalf. "I promised her that I would teach her how to move the barrels!"

McHenry bristled. "How hard can it be? You take a barrel, roll it up, go back for another!" To his son, he scoffed, "Why do you need a girl's help? You're not growing soft on me, are you, boy?"

"No, Father," Ben replied, face flushed. "I just...could use the company."

McHenry shook his head. "Get Veronica or Marie to help you. They're bigger than Rose is."

Rose interjected, "But Veronica and Marie have to clean the tavern from last night! They are far too busy."

"Aren't _you_ supposed to be cleaning the tavern as well?" McHenry said skeptically. Rose was sheepish at this revelation, but finally McHenry broke under the pleading gaze of his son. "Fine," he groaned. "But mark me! If we lose a single barrel because of the work of a novice, _both_ of you will be cleaning the tavern on your own, while Veronica and Marie get the day off. Understood?"

The children were elated despite the threat, quickly thanked McHenry, and raced each other to the docks. Once they arrived at the ship, it was quite simple for Rose to catch on to the duty at hand. Ben handled the payment for twelve barrels, then one by one, they began rolling them back up the hill into town.

"I think Benjamin McHenry is a fine pirate name," Rose said to her friend on their third round of transporting the heavy containers uphill.

"You think? I find it too commonplace. You don't think something like...like, 'Ben the Buccaneer?'"

Rose shook her head. "It's not nearly as commonplace as 'Rose Teague.'" She stuck her tongue out at the name in disgust.

He laughed. "Commonplace? Who else do you know with the name, 'Teague?'"

Rose didn't answer him, thinking to herself precisely who had the name Teague. Jack wanted to disassociate himself with the family name, and that was therefore a good enough reason for her too to want separation from it. If Teague didn't want anything to do with her, why should she then carry around his name as a constant reminder of that fact?

"What was it?" Ben asked, disrupting her thoughts. "That name you used to make up when we would play Pirate? Hex-something?"

"Hexfury," said Rose, embarrassed. "And no, I'm not using _that!"_

"Why not?"

"First off," said she, "I thought it sounded fearsome _years_ ago! Now it's just silly! And second, I couldn't go around with a name like, 'Rose Hexfury.' People will think I'm an angry witch!"

Ben stopped his barrel and made it stand upright, though they were only halfway back to town. Rose followed his lead, though she was unsure of why they had stopped. Suddenly, Ben sprang backward and hid behind his barrel. "Quick, Miss Hexfury!" he exclaimed. "Ghost pirates are attacking! We must retaliate!"

Rose laughed, rolling her eyes. "Aren't we a bit old to play Pirate?"

"I'm not!" he yelled, peering over the barrel. "Besides, this is our last chance to play without any real peril! Soon these adventures will be the rest of our lives!" He reached his arm over his barrel out to her. "So what's say you, Rose Hexfury?" he asked. "Will you join me aboard the _Black Pearl?"_

Rose grinned, taking his hand and joining him in their game of make-believe. "Just imagine the adventures we'll have!" said Ben. "Now! Let's give those knaves a good blast from our starboard cannons!"

"Aye aye, Ben the Buccaneer!"

Through their play, Rose couldn't help but swallow impending sadness. Ben was right, soon this childlike bliss would dissipate into very real violence and danger. And even more frightening, what if Jack really _had_ forgotten about her? Ben was so excited to leave the tavern on Tortuga. What if that was never meant to be?


	11. The Tavern

That evening, Rose and Ben had returned to see if the _Pearl_ had magically appeared in the harbor, despite the two of them having spent the entire afternoon by the docks already. Ben reminded Rose to not get discouraged, and they returned back to the tavern to get ready in order to serve thirsty customers that were surely already awaiting service.

Rose had braided her long hair, tying the rest off with a bun, donned an apron and picked up a tray, then rushed off to serve the rambunctious pirates within the tavern, all while being screeched at by Mrs. McHenry. Rose, Veronica and Marie did all the heavy lifting around the tavern during service hours. It was Mr. and Mrs. McHenry's jobs to keep order around the building as the wild and rowdy pirates became even more wild with the added element of alcohol as the night went on. Rose had become an expert in avoiding shattered glass and any sort of various scuffles that inevitably broke out in the loud, uncontrollable facility.

Tonight, Rose made her way first to a calm-looking trio of sailors, who politely ordered three bottles of rum from her. She returned to the kitchen, fetched the order, and promptly delivered it to her waiting customers, collecting their money in exchange. She would then return two-thirds of that money to Mrs. McHenry's sweaty palm, pocketing the other third for herself. Rose should have been handing over all of the sum to Mrs. McHenry, as her payment was food and a roof over her head, but Rose had begun to collect some of the sales she made for herself beginning about a half a year ago just in case Jack's plan fell through. Rose was determined to get off the island, no matter the cost. She had already collected a considerable amount of money, and at the very least could afford passage to another island. She only kept collecting for the sake of ensuring Ben's passage as well...

Rose turned from Mrs. McHenry to make another sale, when the woman called after her, "Just a moment!"

Rose's heart dropped at the notion that perhaps the woman had discovered the money she had pawned. "Yes?" Rose squeaked.

"Did't you charge those men for _three_ bottles of rum?"

So she _had_ discovered the cost discrepancy. "No," Rose lied. "Only two."

Mrs. McHenry narrowed her eyes. "I thought I saw you carrying three bottles."

Rose had no idea how to answer, but thankfully Marie came rushing to her aid accidentally.

"Mrs. McHenry!" she said breathlessly. "Some very loud gentlemen in the back are trying to pay for their drinks in treasure maps!"

Mrs. McHenry groaned, pocketing the money Rose had given her and angrily stomping off with Marie in tow to resolve the dispute.

Rose tried to slow her heart's pounding, quickly returning to her service and vowing to stay as far away from Mrs. McHenry as possible for the rest of the night.

As she walked through the crowd, she heard a voice cry out, "Rosie! C'mere!"

Rose followed the voice, seeing that it led to Reynolds, a middle-aged redheaded pirate with horrible halitosis who was a regular at the tavern. Tonight, he was entertaining a group of equally haggard friends around a large table.

"Mates," he announced to his company, "I'd like to introduce ye to Rosie!"

Rose politely smiled to his dirty brethren, then readied herself for their orders, though no orders ever came.

"I knew Rosie since she was this tall," said Reynolds, holding his hand to about Rose's waist. "She's been serving here fer years now, and what a pretty lass she's developed into." He grabbed her cheek and pinched it, though Rose pulled away. Noticing this, he grabbed her waist and pulled her to him so that she was sitting on his lap. "Come now, don't be shy, dearie!"

"Oi!" a shrill voice cried out behind him. Reynolds's face fell as Veronica peered around him. "Let the girl go!" she ordered, helping to pull the bewildered Rose to her feet. "She's only a child, Reynolds!" she scolded. "And is _this_ body not young enough for ye?"

The men with Reynolds hooted and hollered, while Rose only cringed. _Veronica and Reynolds? Jack wasn't kidding when he said she wasn't picky..._

Veronica turned back to Rose and whispered, "Move to another group. I'll take care of these knaves!"

"Thank you!" Rose said with deep gratitude.

"Nonsense! We ladies must stick together!" she replied with a wink.

Rose needed a moment to recover from what had just happened, and quickly dove into the deserted kitchen for some time alone. But refuge had she none for long, for Ben ducked into the kitchen after her, leaning up against the opposite wall.

"You just missed a very awkward situation," he said.

Rose snorted. "So did you," she said, referring to the Reynolds debacle. 

Ben cocked his head, "What?"

"Nothing important," Rose said. "What with you?"

"My father called me into his room," Ben began. "And he told me not to marry you."

Rose's eyes went wide. "What?!"

"That's what I said!" said he, joining Rose on her side of the room, leaning on a spot of the wall next to hers. "He said that he knew how close we've been, but recently he's noticed that we've been closer than usual." Ben and Rose exchanged a knowing glance. _He might be growing suspicious about our plan of escape,_ the look read, though neither of them dared speak their fear aloud.

"He thinks it's a...budding romance!" continued Ben with a shudder. "He said that I might someday want to wed you, but I shouldn't because you don't have any prospects. No parents, no land, no dowry. He said it wasn't worth it."

Rose gulped, staring straight ahead. "What did _you_ say?"

"I told him the truth! We're only friends! I wouldn't dream of marrying you!"

Rose joined in his laughter, though inside she was crushed. _No parents, no land, no dowry...not worth it...I wouldn't dream of marrying you._

Even though she felt as though she had been punched in the stomach, she had to stay stoic. Ben had no way of knowing that deep inside, she dreamed of the two of them someday owning their own ship, sailing away together, doing as they pleased and completely in love. It was a secret hope, but yet another one that had come crashing down around her. While he wouldn't dream of marrying _her_ , she dreamed the opposite every day.


	12. Cleaning Up the Wreckage

Her night was restless. Rose was worried about Jack, hurt by Ben's words, and had had yet another nightmare. This time in the dream, Jack was in great danger. He was alone on an island, while a black ocean seemed to swallow him up. After the nightmare, Rose had completely abandoned the notion of sleep altogether, and spent the night blind in the dark, waiting until there was enough sunlight that her vision was restored. When this happened, she grabbed her shoes and her dress and began her stealthy escape back to the docks. Sadly, her progress was thwarted just before she reached the hallway when she ran straight into the bosom of Mrs. McHenry.

"Oh no!" she shouted. "Yer not goin' on your special mornin' jaunt today!"

Rose's heart fell. This would be the first time in three years that Rose would miss her dawn patrol for the _Pearl._ Even in sickness Rose somehow managed to make her way to the bluff to look for her brother.

"Rise n' shine, ladies!" Mrs. McHenry shouted into their room. "That brawl last night completely destroyed the tavern. We're going to need all hands on deck today to get it proper by the time we open! Up up up!" And to Rose, she said, "Fix yer hair!" before marching off.

Rose was devastated. Her twice daily search for Jack wasn't so much a legitimate hunt as it was a good luck charm. She felt that routinely going to the bluff kept the hope alive inside her. What if the one time this routine was broken would prevent him from ever coming back?

Marie peered around the door frame behind Rose. "Of all days to rise us early!" she whispered.

"I know," said Rose sadly.

"No, you don't understand!" Marie said is a hushed voice. "Veronica left in the middle of the night and hasn't yet returned! Mrs. McHenry will have her hide if she knows she's gone!"

Rose's eyes widened. "What do we do?"

"We have to go out there," she replied. "We'll just have to say she's sick or something!"

Rose was uncertain of this plan's ability to actually work against Mrs. McHenry, but neither girl had any choice but to comply. They both dressed and made their way to the tavern, both gasping at the atrocity of the scene before them.

The brawl must have broken out after service hours, for neither Marie nor Rose were around to see the resulting destruction. There was shattered glass all over the floor. The walls were coated in rum and wine, and broken pieces of wood from various chairs and tables littered the room. Exchanging a glance, the girls sighed deeply and began the clean-up process. To their great fortune, Mrs. McHenry was off purchasing more furniture the entire morning, and did not return to find only two of her three barmaids working on the room until mid-afternoon.

"Where's Veronica?" she gruffly asked them.

Marie shot Rose a glance, and then lied, "Sick, ma'am. She's bedridden."

"Like hell she is!" Mrs. McHenry yelled, stomping down towards the hallway.

As fate would have it, just when the woman was out of earshot, Veronica herself rushed into the tavern. "So sorry I'm late—"

Rose and Marie silenced her quickly, much to her confusion.

"You're sick!" Marie whispered.

"What? No I'm not!"

"YES YOU ARE!" said Rose and Marie in unison.

"Oh!" Veronica replied in understanding.

"What is the meaning of this?" Mrs. McHenry shouted from down the hallway, having discovered that Veronica was not sick in bed, as the girls had just reported to her.

Marie and Rose rushed back to their original positions while Veronica quickly picked up a broom and began to work. When Mrs. McHenry charged into the room, Veronica put on a winning smile. "Feeling much better, ma'am! Just decided to take a quick walk! I'm all better now!"

Mrs. McHenry just glared at her. "You owe these girls a service for pulling yer weight for the whole mornin'!"

"I know, Mrs. McHenry! I have thanked them profusely!"

The old woman only sneered as she slammed the door behind her, leaving the girls alone once more.

"For the record, you have _not_ thanked us profusely..." Marie grumbled.

Veronica put a hand on her heart and said genuinely, "I am _so_ sorry! Thank you both so much!"

"Where were you?" Rose scolded.

Veronica grinned sleepily, moving her broom in a seductive circular pattern across the littered floor. "With a man," she cooed.

Marie and Rose let out a groan, as this was no uncommon occurrence. "Which one?" Marie said sardonically. "You've surely racked up hundreds by now!"

"Untrue!" Veronica said over their laughter. "Besides, I was with the only one who really counts."

"Because he has the most doubloons," snickered Rose to Marie.

"Stop it, both of you! He's a captain!"

"Really?" Marie said. "Or did he just tell you that to get yer lovin'?"

Veronica grew very proud. "I saw his ship myself! It was grand, and had a large crew, and had black sails!"

Rose dropped a stray bottle that she had picked up, sending it shattering to the ground. She gasped, "What was his name?"

"Jack Sparrow..." replied Veronica warily.

Rose's mouth fell agape and she whooped in joy! At last her brother had come for her!

Marie looked at Veronica. "What's all that about?"

Suddenly, Veronica realized why Rose was celebrating. "Oh! I forgot! He's the one who brought her here!" Then her face fell as she realized what that revelation meant. She quickly rushed to Rose to calm her. "Oh no, Rose! You weren't supposed to know! He was going to surprise you here tonight! I completely forgot—"

"No!" Rose cried in celebration. "This is perfect!" She pecked Veronica on the cheek and embraced Marie. "Thank you thank you THANK YOU!"

Mrs. McHenry had re-entered upon hearing the commotion. "What's all this?" she growled.

Rose ran right up to the woman fearlessly, tossing her apron at the wench. "I quit, Mrs. McHenry! I quit!"

She left the three women completely speechless in the disgusting place, racing off as fast as her feet could carry her to the docks. She hadn't even rounded the corner and she could see black sails looming over the cliff. She squealed again and ran straight for the ship.

It was easy to get to, as the gang plank was lowered. She raced up onto the deck, scanning the men aboard for Jack. Instead, she caught the attention of a concerned looking sailor. "Miss?" he said, approaching her. "You aren't supposed to be here."

She grinned. "Oh but I am! This might sound crazy, but I am the sister of your captain!"

The man too broke into a grin. "You must be Rose! He's spoken of you!"

Rose felt as though a large weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Not only had Jack finally come, but his men were _expecting_ her!

The man ushered Rose toward the back of the ship near two double doors. "Right this way, Miss Sparrow!" The fellow was so kind, she dared not correct his incorrect assumption about her last name.

They grew closer to the doors. Rose's heart raced when the man pounded on one of the doors, calling out "Captain! Someone here for you!"

At first, the only response was a lot of rustling around, followed by a yell and a loud thud. Then, the door opened, revealing a man with kohl-rimmed eyes and long dark hair tied back with a red bandana. He broke into a wide, gold-toothed grin when he saw her.

"'Allo, sister!" he cried.

* * *

 

"Well, I _was_ going to surprise you here tonight, had my loud-mouthed lady friend not ruined my plans!"

Veronica stood nearby, serving another patron, and having heard this, huffily stomped away from them.

Jack noticed this, and then leaned over to Rose. "Was she standing behind me the whole time?"

Rose only laughed. How strange it was to be back in this tavern being served on as a pirate instead of serving other pirates! Jack had brought her and his crew to back to the tavern for one night of celebration before they departed in the morning. Brother and sister were united sitting at a small table of their own and catching up on lost time.

"Now you must tell me," Rose said, "What on Earth kept you so long?"

Jack looked down apologetically, "I truly _am_ sorry, lass. It is a wonder that you kept your faith in me after all this time! I got the _Pearl_ just as I suspected I would, but then had a bit of a snafu that sent me on a trip around all seven seas!"

"You were in all seven seas over the past three years?" Rose asked. "Why?"

"To get and keep this," he said, pointing to a small assortment of beads that ended with a silver coin hanging from the top of his bandana. "This makes me one of nine Pirate Lords."

Rose's mouth fell agape. "A Pirate Lord? You?"

"Aye! I'm the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean."

Rose only laughed, collapsing her head into her hands.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

Rose shook her head. "I'm just so happy to see you again, Jack! How lucky I am to have found you!"

Jack smiled. "If I hadn't defied the East India Trading Company that day, they never would have thrown me on that labor transport vessel. We never would have found one another!"

Rose reached around her neck, grabbing the cord that held her mother's pendant and holding it up. Jack reached around his belt and did the same with his mother's identical pendant, both of which were purchased by their father so many years ago.

Rose grinned, but she caught the eye of Ben, who was peering at the siblings from around a door frame. She smiled to him, beckoning him over to their table. Jack looked over his shoulder to try and see who his sister was motioning to.

"Jack," Rose said. "I know it's a lot of me to ask, but could you please meet with a friend of mine?"

Ben approached the table hesitantly and pulled up a chair as Jack replied that he would. Ben introduced himself, and got straight to the point in asking Jack straight off if he could join the _Pearl_ 's crew.

Jack exchanged a glance with Rose, but she just smiled encouragingly. He then turned his gaze to Ben, keeping the atmosphere tense between them. "Are you willing to risk life and limb for the sake of the crew?"

"Aye, sir!"

"Will you take orders from rascals, scoundrels, villains, and knaves without defiance?"

"Aye, sir!"

"Are you prone to seasickness?"

"Er...no, sir!"

Jack gave a wry grin, then extended his hand to Ben, who shook it merrily, "Welcome aboard the _Black Pearl_ , Mr...?"

"McHenry, sir! Thank you, sir!"

"Aye," Jack said, "Now begone with ye! We leave at dawn and not a minute later!"

Ben happily rushed off, filling Rose with joy! At least part of her plan of sailing away with Ben would come true!

Jack stirred her from her thoughts. "McHenry, eh?"

Rose gulped. "Yes."

"Rose, I've been that boy. A young lad who wants nothing more than to defy his parents and sail on the seas. Teague followed after me. I'm not going to have an angry innkeeper trying to find his son on my tail, am I?"

Rose had asked Ben this very question when be first expressed interest in coming aboard with Rose. She recited what he had said to her: "His father is terrified of the open ocean."

Jack was still uncertain. "I'll give him a trial period and we'll see if a pirate's life is for him."

"Thank you, Jack!" Rose said. "Thank you for everything!"

When time came for them to leave the tavern once and for all, Rose said her final goodbyes to Mr. McHenry, Marie, and a spiteful Veronica, thanking them once again for the kindness they had shown her. She exchanged an excited glance with Ben, suppressing the urge to celebrate their escape lest they give away their plan. Mrs. McHenry was conveniently nowhere to be found as the siblings left, but Rose did not rue her absence.

Jack led the way out the door into the night, and Rose froze on the front steps, completely motionless.

"What's wrong?" called Jack upon realizing that his sister was not with him.

"I cannot see," she replied.

"Oh!" he said rushing to her side and taking her arm. "I forgot about the night blindness!"

He led her to the ship and into his quarters. "I can't wait until you can see how grandiose she is by day!" he exclaimed proudly. But that would have to wait for now. He made up a makeshift bed for using some crates and pillows, and though she couldn't see a thing, the warmth she felt of knowing that she was in her brother's care made the three years she had waited worth it. 


	13. Home Sweet Home

Rose awakened the next moment in a place foreign to her. For a moment, she had completely forgotten that Jack had returned, and no longer did she live in such a harsh environment as the tavern on Tortuga. Now she was aboard the _Pearl_ , her new home. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she took a first look at her new room that she was to share with her brother from then on, as now daylight streamed in through the large, ornate, colored glass windows that opened up to a panoramic view of whatever large expanse of ocean the vessel had just passed through. Jack had already left, presumably to oversee the ship's departure from Tortuga in the morning hours, giving Rose a chance to explore the Captain's quarters to her will. A large table made up the centerpiece of the room where Jack most likely took his meals. In the rear of the room nearby the windows was his bed and desk, completely hidden beneath piles of maps, charts, and bottles of rum, Rose supposed. Though very disorderly, Rose was thrilled to finally be here. She straightened her hair, and took a deep breath before opening the doors that led to the main deck where she was to meet her new family: the crew.

She was startled when the blaring sunlight first hit her eyes and she saw just how many sailors were aboard. She was nearly taken out by a rolling barrel controlled by an intimidating looking fellow with intense tribal marks all over his face. Rose quickly mumbled an apology for getting in the way and then rushed to an open clearing, searching for her brother. She scanned the deck, finally seeing his long hair beneath his tricorn hat. He was flailing his arms wildly about,directing his crew to do any variety of tasks, though it appeared to Rose that no one was paying him much heed.

"Rose!" an excited voice said, stirring her from her thoughts. She turned to see Ben, carrying a small pack of very few belongings that he saw fit to bring aboard.

Rose grinned when she saw him. "Ben!"

The boy was ecstatic. "Can you believe it?" he cried. "We're finally here! We've done it!"

"Do your parents know yet?" she asked concernedly. "That you're—"

"Gone?" Ben finished. "Hardly. They won't notice until late tonight, and they'll notice that they're bloody liquor shipment didn't come in before they notice my absence." When he saw that Rose still looked skeptical about his departing without telling his father and step-mother, he quickly added, "I left a letter in my room for them, but I still would doubt if—"

"And who are you?" a dark voice voice spoke over him, causing Ben to start.

"Benjamin McHenry, sir. Newly hired by Captain Sparrow, sir," squeaked Ben.

"Is that so?" the sneering man replied. "Then stop tarryin' and get to helpin' hoist the sails. You any good at riggin'?"

Ben quickly made his way, rushing to catch up with this gruff pirate, glancing back at Rose apologetically.

She called after him, "Come to the Captain's Quarters after sunset! We'll talk then!"

He nodded, then disappeared into the busy crowd of pirates heaving things to and fro across the deck.

Rose smiled in relief, happy to see that her friend was so excited to be free from Tortuga, and equally as pleased to be able to spend more time with him in the hopes that someday they could be more than just friends.

She turned back at the helm to see Jack, but ran right into another pirate. She gasped audibly not only after making contact with him, but also upon coming face to face with a screeching monkey, who was also startled by her clumsiness.

"I'm so sorry, sir!" she said, backing away from only to run straight into another passerby. Apologizing again, she turned back to the original man she had hit and was rendered speechless by his domineering presence. He was tall, older than Jack with a rough, weathered face and a haggard appearance. He wore a large, feathered hat and his eyes looked threateningly at Rose. His pet monkey stood perched on his shoulder, staring at Rose now in silent fascination.

"Ye best be steppin' lightly aboard a pirate ship, lass," he said in a thick Irish accent.

"My apologies again, sir," Rose stammered, trying to appear professional despite his reprimand.

"Master Barbossa, First Mate of the _Black Pearl,_ " he introduced himself gallantly. "Rose Sparrow, I presume?"

"Teague," she corrected, then instantly regretted upon seeing his delighted face.

"Teague, eh?" he said in surprise. "That explains a lot..." He began to circle her, eyeing her up and down. "You're quite a deal younger than Jack," he noted.

"Aye," she said uncertainly. He suddenly appeared over her left shoulder, further startling her. "Feel safe aboard our humble vessel?" he asked.

"With Jack around, yes," she replied honestly, leaning away from his rotting teeth.

"Your brother won't always be around to save ye, Miss Teague," he said, stepping away from her.

Rose tried to control the irritation that was flaring up inside her. "With all due respect, sir, I don't need Jack to save me."

"Ah yes, but consider this," he said. "A young girl like you, all alone on the sea? If somethin' were to...happen to Jack, say, what would become of ye? Ever spent time on a pirate ship before now?"

"Not much," she said through gritted teeth. "But I served a fair share of pirates in the tavern for the past three years."

"A ship is another thing entirely, lass," he hissed. "Between stormy seas and other pirates trying to pillage and plunder, not to mention the knaves aboard this vessel, there be squalls ahead, and Davy Jones waiting for them what don't obey!" His pet monkey screeched, as though affirming this thought.

Rose only swallowed, trying not to let Barbossa's intimidating words get to her, but it was clear that she was shaken up. Despite having just met her, he somehow seemed to know precisely how to manipulate her every worry she had upon coming aboard.

Barbossa added when she failed to respond to him. "But I'm certain ye don't need anyone to save ye, as you said. Not even yer CAPTAIN!" he yelled, causing her to start again. He had yelled this last word to Jack, tying it in to the last sentence he had said to Rose.

Jack looked over at Barbossa in response. "Mmm?" he cried.

"Before we make sail," Barbossa called out, "Do we have a headin'?" The crew who were on deck stopped their progress upon hearing this, looking to Jack expectantly.

"Um..." Jack said, looking around frantically as though the answers to his question were suspended in mid-air. Suddenly, he cried out, "North?"

Barbossa furrowed his brow, and in utter bewilderment asked, "Sir?"

"South?" Jack tried again, as though he had somehow responded incorrectly.

"South..." his first mate said skeptically.

"Aye!" replied Jack. "Towards um...er..."

"The South American continent?"

"That's the one!" Jack cried triumphantly. "Why don't we head down that way and figure out the rest as we go along?"

"As you command, _Captain,_ " Barbossa replied. He watched as Jack returned to his flailing, then turned to the surrounding men nearest him. "We'll head due East," Barbossa said to them. "Toward Port Royal. See if we can't sack a British trade ship."

Turning back to Rose one final time, he said, "Miss Teague," bidding her off and walking proudly away.

* * *

That night, Jack ensured that nearly every flat surface was illuminated to give Rose as much light by which to see as he could. They dined together, feasting on fineries Rose had never dreamed she'd find on a pirate ship.

"Only the finest for family," Jack said, toasting her with a wine glass. After they had nearly consumed the entirety of their meal, Jack asked her, "So, what do you think about the _Pearl?"_

"It's a fine ship," she replied honestly, "But I'm not certain the men are taking too kindly to me."

Jack looked taken aback by this. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, they _are_ pirates, and I certainly wasn't expecting a very warm welcome, but I believe they think that this ship is no place for a woman."

"Who gave you that idea?"

"Well," began Rose, hesitant to tattle on her brother's first mate, "Master Barbossa warned me of dangers that might lie ahead for me."

"Oh," said Jack, waving off her words with a flick of his wrist. "Pay no attention to Hector. He has a flair for the dramatic, that's all. I mean did you see the size of that hat?"

Rose giggled, but still was concerned. "I am safe here, right Jack?"

"Of course!" he cried, his mouth full of turkey leg meat. "No safer place in the Caribbean to be than right here with me!"

"Well I've been thinking about it," she said softly. "Why did you tell the men that I was your sister? You always told me never to tell anyone how we are related."

"That was back when we were separated," explained he. "There's no threat posed to us here."

"I don't know the first thing about sword fighting or shooting a pistol or sailing a ship—"

"All in good time, love!" When Jack saw that his sister still didn't look convinced, he stood and rushed off toward his desk, rifling through various piles he had created. "Here!" he cried triumphantly, producing a rusty cutlass and faded belt and handing them to Rose.

"What is this?" she asked.

"It's your new best friend," Jack replied. Motioning for her to stand, he grabbed the belt from her and instructed her how to fashion it, tying it securely around her waist.

"Look at mine," he said. "You want it good and tight, for as you add more effects to it, the heavier it becomes."

Rose looked at her brother's belt closer, seeing various trinkets, bottles, pouches and holsters. "What _is_ all that?" she asked.

"My collection!" he said proudly. "I carry mementos and important things from everywhere I go. I always need to be carryin' it on me person!"

He then backed away from her, drawing his cutlass and holding it parallel and extended from him. "Now then, draw your weapon, m'lady."

Rose smiled, pulling the blade free from its sheath and pointing the tip of the weapon straight at him. "Fancy words for my first _kill_ ," she said jokingly.

Jack pursed his lips. "First of all, work on your phraseology. Those are nothing close to good quips. Second, your form is all wrong. Here..." He walked toward her, kicking her feet until she moved them where he wanted them to be. "Now center your weight."

Rose bent her knees, squatting low to the ground.

"What is that?" Jack cried. "I said center your weight!"

"I don't know what that means!"

"Like this!" he sighed, demonstrating. Rose copied him, making slight adjustments until she got his approval. She committed this stance to memory as he continued, "Alright, now you keep your eyes on your enemy..."

"Alright," she said.

"See right through him."

"Alright..."

"See his fears!"

"Alright!"

"Then..."

"Yes!"

"Improvise!" Jack said, sheathing his weapon and walking back towards the table.

"What?" Rose said, bewildered.

"The rest comes naturally!" he said simply, biting into his turkey leg once more. "He swings, you swing, he lunges, you block 'im, and you get the rest!"

"Improvise?"

"That's all there is to it, love!" Jack said.

Rose was still uncertain, just as she was uncertain about his captaining skills based on his demonstration on deck earlier, but she had no time to argue with him as they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Rose's eyes lit up. "Ben!" she cried. "I hope you don't mind, and I promise not to make a habit of it, but I invited him here tonight so we could talk. May he come in?"

"By all means!" Jack said.

Rose sheathed her sword and rushed to the door, opening it not to reveal Ben, but Barbossa. Her heart sank when she saw him. "Jack," she called back to her brother. "It's Master Barbossa."

"Ah, Hector!" Jack cried from inside.

"Captain," Barbossa greeted, pushing past Rose into the main room.

"Rose and I were just talking about you," added Jack, still happily munching on his dinner.

Barbossa turned and glared at Rose. "Were you? In regards to what, I wonder."

"Rose fears that she isn't welcome aboard this ship," Jack stated. "I entrust that this is not the case."

"No, sir," Barbossa said a little too emphatically. "Your sister is very welcome here. However," he said, "I _do_ wish to speak to you in private, sir."

"Certainly!" Jack agreed. The men turned to Rose expectantly, waiting for her to take her leave.

"I can't see in the night, Jack," Rose said nervously.

Barbossa raised his eyebrows. "Can't see in the night?" he said, looking to Jack.

"She was born with night blindness," he explained. "Rose, there's a crate right outside the door. We won't be but a moment, right Barbossa?"

"Of course, sir," Barbossa replied. "I'll even go retrieve the girl after I depart."

"Splendid!" Jack grinned, and with that, Rose hesitantly began to exit the room. She closed the door, suddenly enveloped in darkness. She felt for the crate Jack was referring to, and upon finding it, sat uncomfortably on the object, jumping at every noise, be it a creak of the floorboards or any voice that pierced through the night.

Rose sat there for quite some time, but perhaps it was just feeling longer than it was because she felt so exposed without use of one of her most important senses. She wished Ben would come, see her sitting alone in the dark and would keep her company, but he never came.

Suddenly, Rose heard the door click next to where she had exited. She spun towards the noise. "Master Barbossa?" she asked. No response. "Master Barbossa, is that you?" she tried again. No sound could be heard. For some time, Rose could only hear her heart's pounding, unsure of what stood right next to her. Finally, she heard a creaking of a floor board a ways away and assumed that her mind was playing tricks on her.

The night grew ever colder as Rose waited for Barbossa to retrieve her. For two hours she waited, until finally she could take no more. Risking barging in on business, Rose stood, feeling around desperately for the door handle. She grasped it, pulling on it and flinging herself through the entrance, once again regaining her sight. "Jack?" she yelled.

Jack rounded the corner quickly, seeing Rose shivering from the cold. "I was wondering where you were! Did you find Ben?"

"Ben?" she asked.

"I had assumed you had found Ben and were outside with him, since Barbossa didn't send you in!"

"Where is Barbossa?" she asked.

"He left hours ago!"

Rose's stomach burned with anger. So her mind _hadn't_ been playing tricks on her. "No," she said, jaw clenched. "I never moved from that crate."

Jack only laughed, grabbing Rose a warm blanket and waving the event off as a honest mistake, though Rose knew better. "Honestly," he laughed, "I wonder who has the night blindness; you or him! Anyways, where did we leave off? Oh yes! Swordsmanship is all about improvisation..."

But Rose had stopped listening. She knew why Barbossa didn't keep his word to fetch her. He wanted her gone. And what was worse, Ben had failed to keep his word to see her that night. She feared she might be slowly losing her friend for good.


	14. Hexfury

Unfortunately, as time went on, Rose discovered that she was justified in her fear regarding the increasingly negative opinions of her by Barbossa. Even more upsetting was the revelation that Barbossa's disdain seemed to spread like wildfire through the rest of the crew. She quickly discovered that all the crew members were not as keen on Rose's presence as the man she had first encountered onboard the _Pearl_ was. In fact, it seemed as though only Jack, Ben, and that man were on her side, and even Ben seemed more distant to her than ever, constantly running errands for the other men and giving Rose only an apologetic expression, as though he had no time for her. Rose knew this was not the case however, as she oftentimes could hear the Ben amongst a group of rowdy sailors on deck at night, gambling and drinking. Her invitation to him remained open, but he never seemed to wish to accept it.

Additionally, the men of the crew began accounting any mishap that happened onboard as a curse that had occurred only because there was a woman aboard. A rope on the mainsail broke one afternoon, recoiling and snapping straight into the right eye of one unfortunate fellow, causing him to lose the blasted thing. A day later, Rose saw the nervous man emerge from below deck being guided by Barbossa, a wooden eye filling his empty eye socket. Barbossa shot her a condemning glance, causing her to retreat back into Jack's quarters. She began to wonder if she really _did_ carry a curse when the _Pearl_ hit a large storm one evening.

Jack had told her to stay indoors, but Rose was tired of feeling like a nonentity. Perhaps if she could help the men onboard, she could prove herself worthy, and disprove the notion that she was a curse. However, Rose did not anticipate the chaos on deck. Large waves rocked the boat dramatically, and the rain was sending sailors slipping from one end of the deck to the other. Rose, in her desperation to prove herself, had temporarily forgotten her night blindness and was as a result unprepared for the large wave that hit the port side, carrying Rose with it and sending her toppling into the furious waves below.

Now, only two people had seen Rose fall; Barbossa thought that he was the only one to see her topple, grinning a yellow toothed grin and turning his back on the scene. But he was mistaken, for Ben also saw her fall and raised the alarm. Ropes were cast to save the the girl by Jack's orders as they scoured the wild waters below. But little did they know that Rose had already in that time braved the tossing waves, using her ears to find where the _Pearl_ was floating, and had swam for her life. She was currently clinging to the rope ladder on the side of the ship. She slowly climbed up to the top, throwing herself over on to the deck, where Jack rushed to her aid and dragged her back to safety. Despite the fact that the girl had saved herself, the men only took the mishap as one more strike against her.

The next morning, after having been lectured by Jack for her foolishness for the entire night, Rose went out on deck to find Ben, simply in hopes of talking like they used to. If he wasn't going to approach her, she was going to approach him. Since he joined the crew, he was so busy that they barely ever saw each other. Well, they _did_ see each other this time, although the means by which they did were less than positive.

Rose saw him conversing with a group of four other pirates, all easily over fifteen years his senior. As she approached, a short balding man cried out, "Ah look, gents. The Princess has emerged."

Rose's jaw hardened. "Kindly stop," she warned.

"Oh ho!" the man hooted. "She retaliates! Why don't ye go get yer brother to fight yer fights? He's done it fer ya this far!"

"I am perfectly capable of handling myself!"

Another man with a high-pitched voice piped up. "Aye! Perfectly capable of throwing herself off the ship, she is!" The five men began to laugh at this, including Ben. Rose was surprised that he wouldn't help defend her honor.

"Why don't ye get back to Tortuga where ya belong, landlubber?" another cried out.

Angrily, she spat, "I have just as much pirate blood in me as any of you!" Looking directly at Ben, she pointedly stated, "Some even more so!"

Ben's eyes shone with fury at Rose's direct shot at him, and plainly said, "Pirate indeed! Do you know what her idea of a fearsome pirate name is? Rose... _Hexfury._ "

As the men roared in laughter at the ridiculous name, Rose's eyes gleamed in rage at Ben, but he was unrepentant. She had lost yet another ally in her fight to stay aboard the _Pearl_.

She turned away, ashamed and face red, fleeing their cruelty and rushing up the stairs toward the helm. Only one other man stood up on that platform, and he was busy steering the ship. Certainly he posed no threat her. She picked a part of the railing on the starboard side, looking out at the horizon where the sun was setting.

"Miss Sparrow?" the quiet voice belonging to the man steering the wheel said.

"It's Teague!" she snapped without hesitation. She instantly regretted her impatience. This man had no way of knowing that 'Sparrow' wasn't her name. "My apologies, sir," she said with genuine regret, turning to him. "Oh!" she exclaimed when she saw him. The man at the wheel was none other than the kind man she had first encountered onboard the _Pearl_.

"No need to apologize, Miss," the man said. "I saw what happened down there. It's enough to make anyone a bit irksome."

"Aye," she said, all of a sudden feeling very immature for letting such a small insult humiliate her so. "It was all in good fun, I'm sure."

"Didn't sound like it," he replied. "You seemed very upset. I can talk to them if you like."

"Oh no," Rose said. "There's no need. I don't mean to cause trouble."

"It's no trouble at all. They _have_ to listen to me. I'm the Second Mate."

"You are?"

He extended a hand out to her. "William Turner is the name, but everyone calls me Bootstrap Bill. Bootstrap for short."

Rose took his hand and shook it. "Pleased to meet you, Bootstrap."

"My offer still stands," he said. "I could still talk with those men."

"That's alright, sir. Thank you." She turned away to bother him no more, but was stopped when a thought occurred to her. Ben was now fully on the side of his crew, and Jack only had made excuses for his men's prejudice towards her to avoid conflict. Perhaps she could get advice from this man, who seemed to have no malice toward her.

"Bootstrap?" she asked. "May I ask you something?"

"Of course, Miss."

"I'm not being a bother?"

"Not at all. What is on your mind?"

"You know the crew," she said. "I trust you to tell me how bad it is."

"I don't follow, miss."

"How much do they hate me?" she asked.

Bootstrap nodded in understanding. "Not hate. I think they fear you."

"But why?" she asked. "They have nothing to fear! I pose no threat!"

"No," replied Bootstrap. "I think that fear has been spread, and I have my own reasons for thinking that."

"Is it because I'm a woman?"

"Partly. But I wouldn't let that worry consume you."

Rose stepped closer to him, staring ahead at the sea the vessel had yet to travel. "This isn't what I expected," she murmured. "I knew that certain dangers laid ahead, but I expected to be of some use. Jack keeps me like some pet, the men find me a hindrance..." She shook her head. "I know I'm supposed to feel grateful, but I..." Her voice trailed off. There was nothing more to say. There is nothing more terrifying to the human spirit than when one's dreams fall short of one's expectations.

Bootstrap kindly replied, "Jack's doing the best he can, I'm sure. He wishes your well-being above anything else. I know a bit about this—I have a son your age. Perhaps slightly younger. There's a reason why he's with his mother and not with me."

"But there must be _something_ I can do! I need purpose! The men see it, I see it..."

"You want purpose?" Bootstrap said, suddenly realizing a solution.

"Of course!"

"Be Jack's advisor."

Rose was confused. "But isn't that what you and Barbossa are for?"

"And he doesn't pay either of us any mind," he said. "Tell me, Rose. Where are we heading?"

She pondered this, but came up short. "Barbossa ordered to head East, last I heard."

"And still, I steer the ship East. Jack has little to no plan for us and the men grow restless. Jack values your opinion. Encourage him to send us off in some direction for some reason, hopefully with some sort of riches involved. It will keep the men happy and give you a sense of purpose."

"I can do that!" Rose said, her heart racing with excitement. "I can be a liaison between Jack and the crew!"

"Precisely! You'll do it then?"

"Right away!" she cried. She opened her mouth to thank Bootstrap, but was cut off by—

"Rose!" Jack cried below, calling to get her attention.

"Oh!" Rose said, waving to him. She turned back to Bootstrap to bid him farewell, but he only waved her off, as if to say, _Go ahead! He needs you._

She rushed down the stairs, only to be met by the balding man Rose had encountered poking fun at her earlier, cackling wildly. "Oh no Cap'n! Her name's Rose _Hexfury_ now, haven't ye heard?"

As he departed, Jack cocked his head to the side. "Hexfury?"

Rose clenched her jaw and closed her eyes. "Ben's idea of a joke," she said plainly.

Jack could see that his sister was upset, leading her to the port railing and leaning up against it with her. "Master McHenry has become a little _too_ eager to please the other men, has he not?"

Rose sighed, "Yes," she said. "And I'm afraid I've lost him forever because of it."

Jack paused a moment, then said again, "Hexfury. You know, it's not half bad."

Rose snorted, "Oh come now."

"No I mean it! 'Rose Hexfury...' It's intimidating. I can rest easy knowing that no man will harm me sister, for they would dare not battle with the dreaded Rose Hexfury!"

She smiled, though her eyes were still troubled.

"Chin up, lass. I know it's hard amongst these knaves, but yer with me! And as long as you are, you're untouchable."

If only that promise were true, but not even Jack had a way of knowing just how much danger awaited the both of them.


	15. Meaningless

Rose decided not to ask Jack right away what Bootstrap had recommended, and instead decided to take a more concrete approach. Right away, she went into Jack's study and grabbed several of his charts, returning to where Bootstrap stood vigil at the wheel. With his help, she committed to memory several different potential headings that might gain the vessel riches and adventure.

Rose thanked Bootstrap again, rushing back to her brother's quarters. She excitedly burst through the door, but quickly fell silent upon hearing several voices in his room. She would have waited outside out of respect had she not heard Ben's voice among them. She quickly dove into an alcove where she couldn't be seen, holding her breath and listening intently as to what was transpiring within.

"...uncomfortable, sir," was all she could make out of what Ben was saying.

Jack replied, "Is that so? I haven't seen or heard anything of the sort."

"Well, with all due respect sir, you _wouldn't_. She sneaks out of here in the night."

 _She._ Rose's heart dropped upon hearing that they spoke of her.

Ben continued. "Her infatuation with me is distracting. She becomes jealous when I can't commit time to her. It's becoming a hindrance, sir."

"I find it difficult to believe that she comes to bother you in the night, what with her _night blindness_ ," Jack said. Rose breathed a sigh of relief knowing that her brother wasn't buying any of this nonsense Ben was feeding him.

"Are we certain that her night blindness isn't just a ruse?" Barbossa's voice asked Jack. Rose's stomach burned with fury. So _that_ was why Ben was here. She wasn't certain what angered her more, the fact that Barbossa had convinced Ben to invent a tale against her or that Ben had been so willing to go along with it.

"Yes, Barbossa," Jack said sarcastically, "I'm sure the lass _invented_ her condition. There's no doubt in my mind that she's telling the truth, and that's that."

"Regardless," Barbossa said, "You heard the lad. She's only in the way, Jack. She's a hindrance and, some of the men believe, a curse to have aboard."

"I'm the Captain, and if I say she's to stay, she'll stay!"

"The men are prepared to act, Jack, and I'm not certain even I can stop them."

This brought conversation to a dead stop between them. Rose's pulse pounded in her ears as she waited for someone to say something, _anything_.

Finally, it was Barbossa who spoke up. "Methinks we respond with my original proposal."

"Out of the question!" Jack said.

"The witch mentioned a girl! How do you know it isn't Rose?"

"I'm not going to trade my sister for a trinket!"

"A trinket that is promised to bring us to riches beyond all reason, if you'll recall..."

"It's not happening!"

"So what am I to tell your men then? That their Captain refuses to hear their concerns?"

Once again silence fell, until Jack finally said, "Head to the bayou. We shall see what she says. _If_ Rose is not the right girl, she returns to the _Pearl._ Is that understood?"

Rose could tell this conversation was quickly coming to a close, and not wanting to be discovered, darted into the room.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," she said to Barbossa and Ben, as though nothing had transpired. "Jack," she said to her brother, "I wish to speak with you alone if you don't mind."

Jack stammered, "Er...certainly," and with that, the other two men left the room. She could feel Ben's gaze on her, but dared not return it. She waited until she heard the door click shut that she began her desperate plea.

"You know they are only trying to be rid of me, don't you?"

"Rose..." Jack said in a calm voice.

"You can't possibly believe them!"

"Of course I don't, but I have a ship to command!"

"Then command it, Jack!" Rose cried. She rushed to his desk where he stood, throwing down the charts she had been clutching. "I brought these to Bootstrap! He instructed me to give you several headings because you'll listen to me! The crew grows weary of merely traveling without a heading. You can't just bask in the glory of being a captain without captaining!"

"Will you please shut it?" Jack yelled, rendering her silent. Once she finally gave him the floor, he said in a softer voice, "You have no idea how hard I've worked to get this ship, this crew, this _life_. I can't lose it all. If seeing Tia Dalma will help convince them that you belong here, I'll do what I must."

"Who is Tia Dalma?" asked Rose.

"A bayou witch. A voo-doo priestess, soothsayer, general all-knower and collector of all things gross and spooky," Jack explained. "She runs a shack up North and I've gone to her several times for answers. She told me that she seeks a girl to be her apprentice. I am to deliver that girl to her, and in exchange she will give me an item promised to save my life, powerful enough to send nations into battle or something like that."

Rose nodded slowly in understanding. "She means me."

"We don't know that," he replied. "There are lots of girls out there, it's doubtful you're the one she means. If I can just get you there and convince the men that she does not mean you, we can be in our merry way and forget this whole matter."

Rose looked up at Jack. "What if I _am_ the one she means?"

Jack's lack of a response gave her all she needed to hear. He would naturally have to hand her over, receive his prize and leave her with a stranger again, probably on some loose promise of his eventual return.

She laughed bitterly. "You really do love her, don't you? The _Pearl?_ " She took her half of the mother of pearl necklace which hung around her neck, symbolizing their kinship, and tossed it on the desk in front of Jack. "Does that mean _nothing_ to you?" With that, she spun on her heel, briskly walked out of the room and sat on the crate Barbossa had left her waiting upon over a week ago. She sat there all night, letting her night blindness take over. She resented everything that was befalling her. She hated the man who killed her mother, the men who separated and sold her off, she hated the McHenry's, she hated the _Pearl,_ and she hated Teague...

_Teague._

The ever-present reminder of her lineage to the man who knew nothing about her by his own choice in the form of the surname she shared with him. Jack had distanced himself from their father by changing his last name to "Sparrow," which suited him well. Suddenly, the idea of donning the name "Hexfury" didn't seem so ridiculous. Jack approved, and even more so, it reminded Rose of a simpler time. A time where the world was confined only by the limits of her imagination, and the _Black Pearl_ was her deliverance. A time when her faith in Jack was steadfast, not sailing on troubled waters as it was now.

 _If it's Rose Hexfury they want,_ Rose thought to herself, _Then it's Rose Hexfury they'll get._


	16. Promises Made, Promises Broken

Upon arriving, Jack had made arrangements for several of the men to come into the longboat with him and Rose to make the journey within the bayou, including Barbossa.

Rose marched across the deck, head high, as though all the men's eyes were on her. Ben grabbed her shoulder as she passed by him.

"Rose!" he whispered. "I didn't mean to—"

"It's Miss Hexfury," Rose spat. "Not Rose, not Miss Teague, _Miss Hexfury_. I've picked my side, and you've picked yours!"

Ben looked hurt. "Rose, I—"

"I don't believe I asked you to come along, Master McHenry," Jack said, stepping between the two. He gave a questioning glance to Rose to see if this was the right action to take, and though she was inwardly grateful, she kept her eyes forward and kept moving.

She _did_ stop upon seeing Bootstrap, however. He smiled sadly at her, saying only, "Chin up, lass. You'll go far!" She smiled with gratitude, and he and Jack helped her climb over the railing and down into the longboat. Barbossa and the three other men Jack had picked to come along waited below, and once they had taken their seats, oars were dipped into the sea and they began their journey towards land. As they departed, Rose took one final look at the ship she might never see again. She had thought the _Black Pearl_ would be her home for far longer than it was, and choked back her emotion when she saw Ben appear over the railing, staring sorrowfully down at her. She returned his stare until she his image was but a speck, then turned in time to catch one glimpse of the bayou before her world was enveloped in darkness.

The bayou's atmosphere was warm and humid, and the air was fairly stagnant. Dense plant life invaded the land, growing upwards when it no longer could grow outwards, and therefore blocking out all sunlight. Rose was plunged into eternal night, and therefore total blindness. She jumped when she heard a large splash on her left, but felt Jack's hand on her knee.

"Alligator," he murmured.

"Alligator?" she said hoarsely. "Is it nearby?"

"It's no threat to us," he assured her.

A faint laugh informed Rose that there were several bayou dwellers that lived here, but the voyage was taking far longer than she expected it to. Where was this Tia Dalma, and just how far into the bayou did she dwell?

Finally, Rose heard the lapping of waves against what was presumably a dock, and felt the boat come to a halt next to it. Jack helped her up, and taking her hands, led her out of the boat and up several stairs, guiding her inside Tia Dalma's shack.

When the door opened, Rose's sight gradually was restored, though she wished it hadn't. The shack was really just one large room that had a large banyan tree growing in through one of its walls. The room had a somewhat vaulted ceiling, though it was nearly impossible to tell what with the hundreds of jars, bottles, and various trinkets suspended from it. The whole room was a menagerie of hoarded goods, preserved body parts, herbs, spices, plants, books, furniture, jewelry, and a large boa constrictor snake that nearly made Rose jump out of her skin.

"Tia Dalma!" Jack called.

That's when Rose first saw her, though the woman could have easily blended in to her home like a chameleon. She appeared from a side room that Rose hadn't even noticed she was so distracted. She had long, twisted hair like Jack's, dark skin, large, piercing eyes, elaborate amounts of jewelry and a dress that resembled more of a tangled fisherman's net than a gown.

"Jack!" she cooed in a thick accent. "Ye 'ave returned so soon!"

Jack instantly turned in his charms, grinning and saying gallantly, "Who could stay away from a place like this and a lady such as yourself?"

"Ye 'ave yer beloved _Pearl_?" she asked.

"Couldn't have done it without you, love!" he replied.

She suddenly grew very serious. "And da souls?"

Jack waved her off, "All in good time! We've come here on another errand!"

Barbossa had entered behind Jack and Rose. "Tia Dalma!" he greeted her.

The soothsayer did not greet him as warmly as she had Jack. She gave a slight nod and said softly, "Barbossa."

Barbossa continued his speech one two of the three other sailors had entered, leaving one to watch over the longboat. "We come to inquire as to the acquiring of yer trinket ye promised Jack."

Tia Dalma narrowed her eyes. "Not withoud payment," she croaked.

Barbossa swept dramatical around Jack to Rose, placing both of his black-nailed hands on her shoulders. "Feast yer eyes!" he said.

Tia began murmuring something to herself something that was not in English or French, as Rose could not understand it. She drew her face quite close to Rose's, looking straight into her eyes. She finally said to the men, "Dis not be da girl."

Barbossa stomped to Tia, leering over her threateningly. "Surely there must be some mistake," he growled.

Tia Dalma only glared up at him, saying with a level voice. "No. Dis be da wrong girl."

"Splendid!" Jack cried, clapping a hand on Rose's shoulder. "We'll just be on our way then and bother you no further! Rose, shall we go then?"

"Yes, let's!" Rose said, all to eager to be rid of the creepy place.

"Just a moment!" Barbossa called out before the siblings left the room. They turned back to him, and Rose saw that he now held between his dirty fingers a silver crab-shaped pendant. He looked over to Tia Dalma, who stood looking furiously at him. "Don't you wish to know which girl the priestess speaks of?"

Jack narrowed his eyes, watching the unspoken rivalry between Barbossa and Tia Dalma unfold wordlessly before them, and wisely saying, "Oh now, let's not disturb the spooky obeah woman! She must have much blood sacrificing to get to!"

Barbossa ignored Jack, saying in a sickeningly sweet tone, "Tia Dalma, could you possibly use your _powers_ to give us some sort of clue?"

Tia Dalma only stared at the ground, voice dark as she muttered, "Da girl who I speak be searchin' for ye. She is guided by love, but burns with hate. She be a woman scorned, and wishes ye ill."

Rose looked to Jack, who was considering her riddle. Suddenly, he said, "I know it. I know who she means!"

"Where is she?" Rose asked.

"Not certain," he replied. "She could be any number of places."

"Where _is_ she, Tia Dalma?" Barbossa asked, examining the necklace closer.

"She be near," the woman said through gritted teeth, keeping her gaze fixated on the necklace he held. "Head west. She travelin' by sea."

"Thank you so very much, Tia Dalma," Jack said. "Now gents and lady? Shall we—"

He was interrupted again by a new noise. A soft melody echoed from the necklace that Barbossa held. He had opened it, revealing it to be a music box. When the locket clicked shut, Barbossa looked out of the corner of his eyes back to Tia Dalma, who then spoke the words that spelled out Rose's doom:

_I be needin' yer sister, Jack._

Jack laughed. "Sister? What sister?"

She turned and looked at him. "Rose Hexfury."

Rose was floored. How did this woman possibly know about her newly adopted name change?

Jack stammered, "Come now, Tia. You said she's the wrong girl! What good could possibly come of keeping her here?"

"Da girl stays he-ere."

Barbossa flung the locket at Tia, who struggled to catch it as it flew through the air. "I think this is wisest, Jack," he said. "Tia Dalma gets her payment, the men get their wish. I would take her generous offer."

Rose looked up to Jack, pleading with him nonverbally to deny them and let her stay. Jack looked back down at her, and she could see the uncertainty he felt. "Just a moment," he said, pulling Rose into the side room.

Under her breath, she whispered to Jack, "Do you see? He has blackmailed her, you can tell!"

Jack pulled her close and stooped down so that his eyes were level with hers. "Listen to me," he whispered. "I will not abandon you."

Rose's eyes went wide when she realized that he was telling her that he _was_ indeed going to leave her there. "Jack, no! You can't let him control you like this!"

"I do see Barbossa's act, I assure you," he said. "Let me go retrieve the girl. When I do, I'll reap the reward, which supposedly will give me immense power. Together, we'll overpower him."

"He's already overpowered _you_!"

"So he thinks!" Jack whispered, smiling. "We'll show him otherwise!"

"How many years _this_ time, Jack? How many years will you leave me on your promise?"

Jack pursed his lips at this, muttering sadly, "I don't know. All I can promise is that I will track her down right away, and when I do we will return immediately."

Rose look down, exasperated. For too long she had waited for Jack to set things right, and not even after three years was he able to right his wrongs. She had no choice but to stay here, this much she had surrendered to. But she wondered just how much more of Jack's "promises" she could stand before she lost hope in him altogether.

"Hey," Jack said, slightly louder, getting her attention. "I've brought along a few more things to add to your effects." He produced a pistol and holster, looping it around her belt. "To shoot, pull back this trigger and press that one back," he instructed.

"But you'll need this!" she protested.

He patted his cutlass on the other side of his own belt. "I improvise, remember?" He then handed her a pouch which clinked when it fell into her palm. "It's not much," he said, "But a few shillings will get you at least somewhere."

Finally, he untied something from the front of his belt, tying it to hers. "And this," he said. Rose examined what he had fastened to her, seeing that it was one half of the mother of pearl pendant set of two that their father had indirectly passed on to them. Rose had thrown hers the day before at Jack in frustration, and now he was returning it to her.

She examined it closer. "But," she said. "This is _your_ pendant."

He grabbed the other from her, which had formally belonged to her and now currently hung on his belt. "I'll _have_ to come back then," he said with a smile.

Rose smiled, choking back her emotions as they welled up inside her. Jack wrapped his arm around her and led her back out into the main room where the others were waiting.

She bid her brother a final farewell, though he promised again of his return shortly. She held tight to her brother's pendant as the door closed behind him. She was left alone with the soothsayer, and never before did she feel so alone.


	17. Tia Dalma

Running. Rose was running quickly through dense jungle. She could tell by how the vines, leaves, and branches tugged at her clothes and whipped her face as she ran, otherwise the rest of her world was shrouded by her night blindness. Quicker she ran, as something nefarious was in pursuit. She tripped on a rogue tree root and went careening headfirst into a clearing. Here, enough daylight shone through to restore her vision once more. A man stood in the clearing, his back to her. Rose looked down and quickly gathered herself, but stopped upon discovering that she was no longer a girl, but a woman. Suddenly, she found herself very self-conscious about walking upon her lanky legs, and she shakily approached the man in front of her. She knew this man. When she touched his shoulder he turned, though his facial features were foreign to her, concealed in shadows. Despite this, she trusted him, and he took her in his arms and held her. She was comfortable there, and felt safe knowing he was holding her tightly in his firm embrace. This lasted for but a moment, however, as he ended the embrace by shoving Rose violently away from him. No longer was the ground solid, and she fell deep down into a treacherous pit, watching her traitorous friend smiling devilishly at her descent from above.

When she hit the bottom of the pit, Rose awoke with a start. It was only a dream. She was still fifteen-year old Rose, still in the bayou with Tia Dalma, still just…waiting.

She had been disturbed by the nightmare in the middle of the night, and she could not see a thing in the room she was in. The room upstairs was to be her home for the next…however long Jack would be detained this time. This room was small, misshapen, rhombus-like in both width and height. The banyan tree continued to grow through the architecture of the shack and into this room, making it even more uneven, unleveled, and unbearably small. Rose had a temporary living space upon two large crates, which made for a very uncomfortable sleeping space. It had taken ages for her to finally go to sleep, and now, in the middle of the night, there was no hope in her trying to return back to her slumber. So instead, Rose sat up and stumbled around until she found the window overlooking the bayou. To her great surprise, Rose could see little hovering lights in the distance. They would bob and float for awhile, then extinguish, then illuminate once again. They were sporadic, but hypnotic. Rose would ultimately come to discover that these lights were actually fireflies, but for the moment, their mysterious qualities filled the large, empty void inside her.

Tia finally arrived with a candelabra to retrieve her, never questioning the girl’s night blindness. Wordlessly, Rose followed her down the crooked, narrow stairs that led into the main room. Tia motioned for Rose to sit, and upon doing so, she was served a steaming bowl of beige-colored broth.

Rose grimaced, poking at the lumpy soup with her spoon. “What’s this?” she asked as politely as she could.

“Food,” was the only reply she got, then Tia Dalma disappeared into the side storage room. It was clear that the soothsayer was just as displeased with having to care for Rose as Rose was at having to stay at the dilapidated hospice.

Rose slurped unenthusiastically at the ‘food,’ though even categorizing it as an edible form of sustenance was a bit of a stretch. Suddenly, the door swung wide open on its hinge, as a large, muscular bayou-dweller marched inside. He and Rose exchanged a confused glance, each silently asking the other _Who are you, and what are you_ _doing here?_

“Tia Dalma!” the man cried out.

Tia answered to the call, sweeping through the beaded curtain that led into the main room. She leaned on one hip and bit her lip seductively. “Ayyyy…” she croaked. “Id has been far too long!”

The man walked so that he was looming imposingly over Tia, saying in her same accent, “Da pigs ‘ave da fever agin. Can ya charm dem from da sickness?”

Tia Dalma placed a finger to his lips. “Fer a price,” she cooed.

He grinned. “Oh I brought payment…” He leaned down, kissing her neck as she giggled. Tia then looked over, seeing a disturbed-looking Rose still sitting at the table, mouth agape. Tia only widened her eyes, motioning with her head and a tight jaw for the girl to go upstairs and stay there.

Rose was more than happy to leave the awkward situation, taking the candelabra with her for sight. She closed the door to her room behind her, taking a good, long look at the great mess of the tiny storage room. She set the candelabra down and began to investigate the many dusty, cobweb strewn crates and piles of stacked and hoarded goods. Ultimately, more than half of the items were broken, expired, or unidentifiable. Rose began to form a pile of these things to take out of the room. If she was going to live here for God only knew how long, she was going to make a livable abode. Besides the garbage, there were rich, luscious fabrics and other luxury items found throughout the place. Rose counted five trunks, three armchairs, and four crates in separate corners of the room. However, there were no cushions anywhere in sight. Rose was not about to live the rest of her time here cozying up to a hard wooden plank bed, so instead she used one of the draperies and some rope to fashion a hammock, tying one end to a study beam and the other to a branch of the banyan tree that was growing through the wall. She situated it so that she could look out the window from the hammock when she was restless so she could watch the fireflies by night.

When she heard Tia’s male visitor leave the shack, Rose gathered the garbage she had collected and began her descent down the stairs to properly dispose of it all. Unfortunately, Rose was still not accustomed to the uneven steps and lost her footing, tripping down the rest of the way and falling straight into a large dresser. The large wooden piece of furniture tipped over, crashing to the ground and sending all of its contents spilling all over the floor.

Tia Dalma flew into the room. “Fool!” she cried. “Look ad whad you’ve done!”

“I’m sorry!” Rose cried, looking over the damage she had caused. “I was just cleaning out the room upstairs—“

“Who sed ya could do dat?”

“It’s my room, I only thought—“

“Id is NOT yer room! I’m lettin’ ya stay ‘ere.”

“If I am to live here, I may as well do _something_!”

“Besides makin’ a mess o’ things?”

Rose motioned to the bundle of trash in her arms. “These things are ruined! You can’t possibly have any use for them!”

Tia Dalma stomped over to the girl, yanking the things away from her. “Dey are _my_ things! Ye shall not throw any of dem away, ye hear?” Rose nodded bitterly, and as Tia walked away, placing each item in a new home around the main room. She turned back to Rose, saying, “Put demm back how ya found ‘em!”

Rose realized she was talking about the contents of the dresser she had knocked over. She leaned down, lifting the large piece of furniture back upright and picking up as many of the tiny drawers as her hands could carry, seeing that their contents were dried up leaves and flowers.

“But, they’re leaves! They all look alike! How will I know—“

“You’ll learn!” Tia yelled, pushing aside the beaded curtain into the side room and sweeping inside it.

Rose huffed, kneeling down by the seemingly endless scattered piles of dried nonsense. She first separated them by color, then size, then was left with a large pile of green that she had no idea what to do with. She looked over and saw Tia judging her through the beaded curtain.

“What are these?” Rose asked.

“Herbs,” Tia replied. “Fer sickness n’ healin’.”

Rose gulped. “I can replace the rest. Tell me where to find them and I’ll retrieve more.”

“Nay,” said Tia. “Ya _will_ retrieve more soon, but fer now, ya will separate da rest.”

Rose shook her head. “It’s impossible!”

“Ya ‘ave two more senses, as I recall. Taste n’ smell.”

Rose narrowed her eyes, then began picking up leaf by leaf, smelling and tasting each one. It took the rest of the day, but ultimately, she was able to delineate which herb was which.

At one point when Tia passed by her, Rose said, “I like the smell of this one. What is it?”

Tia leaned over and smelled the leaf Rose held out to her. “Monarda,” she finally said. “Fer da skin.”

While she had her stopped, Rose grabbed one of the small drawers, filled with wide, pointy leaves. “And these?”

“Comfrey.”  
“What do they do?”

“Many tings. Bones, skin, burns…”

This interrogation continued about each drawer so long that Tia ultimately had to kneel next to Rose to answer all her questions. Rose was making mental notes in her head about all that Tia was telling her.

In the morning, Tia Dalma awoke and entered the main room only to find Rose still hard at work.

“Whad ar ya doin’?” she asked, still rubbing sleep from her eyes.

Rose spun around, and grinned proudly. “Look!” she cried. “I’ve labeled each drawer with the plant’s name, then arranged the drawers based on their uses.” She began to point them out as she explained. “See, here is the skin, here are the one for stomach pains, here is eyesight, and over there is infections.” She looked back at Tia for some sort of reaction, and caught the soothsayer smiling with only her eyes.

Finally, the woman said, “Get some rest. Ya ‘ave been at dis fer da whole night.”

* * *

 

“Rose!”

Rose was awakened in the late afternoon by the sound of Tia’s voice coming from downstairs.

She rolled out of her hammock and walked down the stairs to answer the call. She found Tia sitting calmly behind her table in the main room, while a fellow bayou dweller woman held her young son by the shoulders, who was writhing in pain.

“Dis woman’s boy be burned,” Tia said to Rose, leaning forward with gleaming eyes. “Whad herb ya be giving dem?”

Rose swallowed. This was a real patient with a real problem. Tia was challenging her, testing her knowledge of the herbs she had just reorganized.

Walking down the stairs and over to the boy, Rose asked to see the burn. She slightly recoiled when she saw how raw the skin of the boy’s hand was. She gulped, looking to Tia for any sort of sign, but she found only her stoic expression looking back at her.

“Well,” Rose began. “We have several hypericum leaves…”

“And whad do dey do wid dem?” Tia asked.

Rose considered this for a moment, then remembering, said, “I can grind them into an ointment that you should apply to the burn.” She then looked to Tia to see if she was correct.

Tia _did_ nod, signaling that she was right in her prescription, but also said, “Aloe be stronger, n’ more potent ferr dis sort of burn.”

Rose felt disappointment and anger well up inside her, though seeing Tia Dalma’s encouraging smile certainly made her feel ever so slightly accomplished. She smiled back, then went to cut a stem of fresh growing aloe for the mother and son.


	18. The Right Girl

It had been nearly four months.

Rose sat by her window, watching the sunlight-dappled bayou rest peacefully, undisturbed. The occasional splash of a fish or an alligator disturbing the calm lapping of the tide would interrupt her meditative state, but all was generally still.

That was until Rose heard a boat full of men approaching. As per custom, Rose instinctively leaned out of the window and drew the shutters, then remained in her hammock, waiting for Tia’s word if she needed it. Otherwise? Rose was not to disturb the priestess. Rose had grown accustomed to this process, but was willing to throw all of her training by the wayside as soon as she heard Tia coo the one name she craved so desperately to hear:

“Jack Spaaaarrrrooow!”

Rose leapt up from her bed and raced out of the room and down the stairs. “Jack!” she cried, racing to her brother, who stood in the center of the room. “Rose!” he said happily, grinning a gold-toothed smile.

She threw her arms around him in a firm embrace. “You’re back sooner than I expected! Have you found her?” she said, referring to the girl Tia needed as her apprentice.

He nodded with excitement. Standing straighter, he announced to Tia, “I hope to perhaps try again.”

Tia raised her eyebrows at him. “De right one dis time?”

“We’ll see,” he replied, motioning to two of his men standing at the door to retrieve something from the boat that was tied to the dock.

Rose’s hopes soared at the thought of her freedom, but she had to remind herself to remain logical in this moment. If this woman was the right person, Rose could return with Jack. If not, however, would she still be prisoner here?

The door suddenly burst open, revealing a raven-haired woman several years older than Rose, wrists bound and fighting against the two men who held her arms firm against her struggling.

Suddenly, she stopped all her resistance to observe her surroundings. She quickly took in all of the trinkets hanging above her head and all throughout the ceiling. She narrowed her eyes in confusion at Tia Dalma, looked with disdain at Rose, and then shot a fiery glare at Jack. “ _Bastardo_!” she cried. “ _¿Crees que sólo puedes dejarme aquí así?_ ”

Rose’s eyes went wide. To Jack, she muttered, “She’s very…angry.”

“And Spanish,” he replied.

Tia Dalma swept around the two of the them over to where this newcomer continued to fight against her captors like a ferrel beast. She looked her up and down, staring into her eyes with silent fascination. From behind, Rose saw her start to nod slowly, then turn back to her and her brother. “Dis be da one.”

Jack clapped his hands together once in excitement. “Excellent!” he cried cheerily. “Then we leave the Castilian serpent here, and I’ll be out of your way! I can take R—“

“No,” Tia said sharply.

“N…no?” Jack asked, taken aback.

“No. Rose stays ‘ere.”

Rose was in disbelief. “But you said I’m not the right one! This girl _is!_ You have no further use for me!”

She turned around to face the protesting siblings. “Until da tides turn, ye cannot go aboard, and turned dey have not!”

Rose felt her eyes start to fill with tears, and struggled to maintain composure and hide her disappointment.

“So you’re just going to leave me here, then? That’s the plan?” the Spanish girl spat at Jack.

Jack considered this for a moment, then replied, “Yep. Pretty much that’s it.”

“Is this what you do with all your prisoners?” she sneered. “You drop them off at this…shack?”

Tia Dalma swept back around at the insult, holding the girl by the jaw. “Dis be no ‘shack.’ Ye mind yer manners when ye be in my home. Ye hear?” The girl’s eyes shone in silent fury as a response until Tia finally let her go.

Tia stalked away, sitting back down in her chair in the back of the room. “And let me make one ting clear _,”_ she said pointedly to her. “No one ‘ere be a prisoner. Id is der destiny.”

The girl furrowed her brow. “How would _you_ know anything of my destiny?”

Tia spun around, saying over her shoulder, “Dere be much ya ‘ave yet to learn, _Angelica.”_

The girl, whose name was revealed to be Angelica, narrowed her eyes. “How…how do you…?”

Jack chimed in, interrupting. “You’ll have much to discuss while your here, which, with any luck,” he said to Tia, “Will be a _very_ long time.” To his men, he ordered for Angelica’s release, though her wrists remained bound in front of her. Jack looked back to Rose.

“I’m sorry,” he said sadly.

Rose could only nod in response. She knew that if she said anything, her emotions would get the best of her.

“Is isn’t too terrible here, though, is it? You’d tell me if it was?”

Rose wanted to say exactly how it was. It was lonely. And confining. Rose wanted to explore and be free. Instead? She was trapped here. Unable to escape due to her night blindness and unable to be with her brother. But she couldn’t bring herself to say it. Jack was trying. He never wanted to leave her with Tia, nor did he want to leave her here again in this moment. So, she felt obligated to squeak out a, “No. It’s fine.”

Jack laid a firm hand on her shoulder reassuringly. “The next time I see you, it will be when we are reunited on the _Pearl._ This I vow! I've already returned for you twice, I certainly can do it again once those bloody tides turn!” Rose let out the bravest smile she could muster, and embraced her brother, but a bitter voice cut through their moment.

“And what of me?” Angelica cried out to Jack. “When will the next time be that I see _you?”_

Jack considered this for a moment, then replied curtly, “In hell, with any luck.” His eyes grew distant, as though he were trying to decide whether or not to say anything more to her. But finally, he determined that he had said enough, and briefly called over his shoulder, “Ta!” which sent his prisoner hurling into more Spanish profanities. Were she still not confined, Rose knew that this woman would have spiraled into another bout of physical rage toward her brother. Thankfully, Tia stopped any further violence by stepping between them, holding an outstretched hand out to Jack that held a palm-sized square object.

“As promised,” she stated simply.

Jack held his hands close to his chest, as though he was frightened to touch the item. “ _That’s_ what I bought? By bringing her to you?”  
Tia narrowed her eyes. “…yes,” she said warningly.

He pursed his lips. “But it’s so…small.”

Tia clenched her jaw and said nothing, only holding her hand out closer to him so that he had to take the object. When he finally did, undid a small clasp on the front of the item and opened a small hinging door that swung upwards. Rose finally deduced that the object was, in fact, a compass. She looked at Jack to gauge his reaction. He squinted in confusion, doing some mental calculations and coming up devoid of answers.

“Sometin' wrong?” Tia asked, hints of exasperation in her voice.

“Um…” Jack began, clearly giving her an answer. “Well…it um…”

“Yes?”

“It…doesn’t point north.”

“Yes.”

“You’re aware of this?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve bought a…broken item from you?”

Tia grew quickly offended. “Id works fine!” she said.

" _This_ compass is powerful enough to send nations into battle, as you promised?"

“For dem rough waters ahead, ye be needin’ dis compass! Take id or leave id.”

Angelica only laughed. “I hope it causes you to crash into a reef,” she spat at Jack. “That’s what you get for selling me off for some pagan idol!”

Jack grimaced, curtly replying, “Yes, well, maybe we’ll meet again in the next twenty or so years… _when you’re still here.”_ He then spun on his heel and made moves to exit the house.

Rose ran after her brother as he descended the porch after giving a tip of his hat to Tia. “Where are you off to now?” Rose asked him, in a desperate attempt made in vain to stall her brother and keep him longer.

Jack stopped suddenly on the stairs, crying out far too loudly, “Isla de Muerta!” This caused the two intimidating sailors he had brought along to stop their progress in preparing the dinghy for voyaging back to the _Pearl_ and look back at their captain. Jack continued to shout grandly, “For treasures and riches that are surely to come, right boys?”

The two men exchanged a look before each giving a firm grunt in response, then going back to their work. Jack seized the opportunity at having lost their attention to quickly whisper under his breath to Rose, _“I’m doomed.”_

Her eyes widened upon hearing this, but before she had time enough to respond, her brother had already fled back into the boat. Rose called after him, “Jack, what? What did you say?”

“Really, love,” he cried back. “I’ve told you time and time again to have someone check out your hearing! It’s really becoming a hindrance!”

 _WHAT IS HAPPENING?_ Rose thought to herself, mind racing. As the small boat retreated back into the depths of the bayou and Rose began to lose sight of the three men as they retreated further into the shadows, Rose yelled out to her brother one final time, “Jack! Please take care!”

The only thing she heard him say back to her was a simple phrase: _Au revoir_ , a French word which means, “to see again.”

But _would_ Rose see her brother again? And if so, when?


	19. Blind Hate

The walk back up the stairs and into the main room was one of the longest and hardest walks Rose ever had to make. Her heart was heavy from the disappointment that had ensued, and her mind was racing with the confusion of what in full had just transpired. Tia would know, Rose reasoned, and she would tell her if she asked. But now there was this newcomer—what purpose would she serve?

“Tia Dalma!” Rose called, pushing the door open. She halted upon seeing the stranger, and not Tia, standing alone in the room, drinking from a mug that Tia had obviously given for her to drink. She froze, as though Angelica were some sort of wild jungle beast, and she was uncertain of every move and glance.

“She’s in the back,” Angelica explained, eyeing Rose up and down. Rose gulped, then took several steps forward to press on past this untrustworthy acquaintance. Just as she passed, the girl blocked her progress by stepping directly in front of her. “Ah ah ah!” she chirped. “You haven’t told me your name…”

“It’s Rose,” Rose said hesitantly.

Angelica suddenly offered her hand out to her in an unexpected act of a geniality. “Angelica," she introduced herself. Rose took her hand and shook it. "No last name?" Angelica asked.

"Hexfury," Rose replied.

After a moment, Angelica threw her head back and burst into riotous laughter. When she saw that Rose was not laughing as well, she quickly stopped, though still she giggled, "Oh. I didn't realize that was a real name."

Rose only blinked at her, then turned away to find Tia.

"You seem a bit young for Jack's taste," she called, once again stopping her. "Although I could be wrong..."

Rose spun around to face her. "We're siblings!“

She laughed again. "How adorable! Well, if Jack treats his sister in any way close to how he treats his women, I wouldn't expect him to keep his promise and 'return for you,' as he said."

"We'll be together again," Rose said simply, trying to stay calm.

"Aye, so will he and I," she said, looming over Rose. "We'll be together again when I have a knife to his throat!"

Rose widened her eyes, but could not respond in time, as Tia reentered the room, basket and oil lamp in both of her hands. She walked right to Rose and placed the items in her hands.

“Go,” she said. “Go to da patch I showed ya. Find fresh herbs. We all out of feverfew.”

“But-“ Rose protested, but was quickly silenced by a glare from her master. Rose swallowed her bitterness and begrudgingly stomped out into the bayou’s muddy shores. She kept the lantern far from her body so she could see in front of her, ever aware of wild, dangerous animals that lurked around every corner.

Rose found the patch of herbs that Tia had shown her a month prior, and tarried longer upon finding other plants she recognized. She picked flowers and leaves, testing herself on their names and uses, and found solace in not having to think about Angelica, Jack, Tia, Ben, or anything unjust that had happened to her.

Rose stopped upon hearing a stirring in the grass behind her. She quickly whipped around and shrieked upon coming face to face with Angelica herself.

“What are you doing here?” she yelled.

“Shh!” Angelica silenced her. “Breathe a _word_ to her and I swear it is the last thing you’ll ever do!”

“What?!” Rose asked in alarm.

Angelica just rolled her eyes and kept pushing through the foliage. Rose finally deduced that already Angelica had planned to escape. Putting her lantern and basket on the ground around her, she drew her sword. “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that, Angelica,” she said bravely.

Angelica only laughed, drawing her own sword. “Oh is that so? What, are you going to _kill_ me?”

Rose swallowed her nervousness, only replying, “If need be, then yes.”

Angelica’s eyes gleamed evilly, and Rose could tell she was about to strike. _Improvise,_ she heard Jack say, as Angelica swiftly delivered two strikes, sending Rose’s unsteady hand veering wildly with each blow.

Angelica laughed again at Rose’s lack of defense. “Did Jack teach you to fight?” she asked. Rose dared not reply. Angelica kept her blade pointed at Rose’s chest, noting, “You have good footwork, a good stance, but a miserable parry. Hit me.”

Rose narrowed her eyes in confusion.

“I said hit me!” Angelica repeated.

Rose took a deep breath, then swung her right arm backwards to deliver her blow, but was completely knocked on the ground when her attacker swung her leg out and knocked Rose’s legs out from under her.

“Sorry I can’t stay for the lesson,” Angelica called, making her final retreat. “Give my regards to the pagan priestess! I’ll send _much love_ to your brother for you!”

Rose struggled to sit up, having just had the wind knocked out of her, but by the time she did, Angelica had disappeared. What was worse, Rose had knocked over the lantern during her fall, spilling the oil and extinguishing the light. Now she was blind, alone, and completely disoriented in the swamp. She could do nothing but sit and wait.

After what felt like hours of jumping at the slightest croak, splash, or buzz, Rose finally heard footsteps approaching. Stomping. Stomping _and_ approaching quickly!

“Who goes there?” she cried, waving her blade wildly in front of her.

“It’s me, you rat!” Angelica hissed. “What did you do?”

“Nothing!” said Rose in confusion. “What happened?”

“You know damn well what happened! You went and told that witch and now she used a spell to bring me back!”

“I didn’t! I’ve stayed right here!”

“Oh come now. Do you honestly expect me to believe that you stayed—“

“I’m blind to darkness!” Rose blurted out. After a few moments of silence, during which presumably Angelica tested out this claim, Rose said softly, “I needed the lantern to see, and I broke it. I’m lost.”

Angelica snickered, “Good. That’s what you get for ratting me out!” Her voice was growing distant, and Rose could tell she was walking back to the shack without her.

“Angelica, please!” Rose cried in desperation. “Take me back with you! I’ll die here!”

Silence. Rose almost began to cry at the thought of being left alone again, but Angelica’s distant voice still rang out.

“I can’t,” she said.

“Please!” cried Rose once more.

“No, I truly cannot! My legs won’t move back! It’s this bloody witchcraft!”

Rose’s heart pounded in her chest, as she strained to hear if Angelica had kept walking onwards. She hadn’t however, saying in defeat, “Come on, then. Follow my voice. I can’t come to you!”

Rose stood, hands outstretched, making her way to where the girl stood by sound. Upon finally gripping her hand, the two made their way back to the shack.

Rose’s eyesight was restored upon reaching the door, just in time to see Angelica grow close to her, whispering intently, “This isn’t over! You still told Tia Dalma that I had escaped!”

“No she didn’t,” Tia interrupted calmly, having opened the door and holding up the mug that Angelica had been drinking out of when Rose first spoke with her.

Angelica cried out incredulously, “You poisoned me?”

“Nay, I knew ye would try to escape, so I put a homing charm on da drink. Don’t try id agin!” She stalked away, leaving both of the girls standing in silent bewilderment on the porch.

Angelica look at Rose, sneered and stomped up the stairs into the room that Rose would soon discover was no longer just for her. Here she was, the wrong girl, being kept in solitude for no other reason than destiny had willed her fate to be that way.


	20. Bitter Rivals

Rose woke up late, seeing that Angelica had already risen from her makeshift bed on the crates she herself once had laid her head upon. She rose, dressed, and went down the stairs to find Angelica looking over Tia’s shoulder as she sat at her table, muttering some charm into a handful of crab legs.

Rose silently began to organize the herbs she had picked the other day into their respective drawers, but quickly finished the task. Having nothing to do, she sat on the lowest step and watched Tia and Angelica work.

“I can’t do it!” Angelica shouted, scattering the legs across the table. “It’s nonsense and witchcraft and I’ll have no part in it!”

This continued for several weeks. Tia would teach Angelica something, Angelica would quickly grow frustrated, declare it nonsense, then sulk in the corner.

One day, Tia had prepared a basin of water in front of Angelica and herself, and was instructing her on how to charm liquids. Rose was finally bored of this routine. Already Angelica was beginning to grow impatient with her lessons. So Rose stood, went into the storage room, and found another basin, filling it with water from the rainwater collection barrel. She then placed it on the table and looked to Tia for further instructions.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Angelica spat.

“I’m tired of not doing anything here,” Rose said. “I see no reason why I can’t learn.”

Angelica snorted. “Go play with your leaves, Rose.”

“No,” Tia said, eyes gleaming. “Rose can stay.” Rose broke into a grin, realizing that Tia almost looked… _impressed_ by her act of defiance. But Angelica only fumed next to her, and her fury intensified at the fact that Rose was able to charm her water while Angelica still could not. After that day, Rose was welcomed as a regular pupil to Tia’s lessons.

A week later, Tia began instructing the girls about mythical sources. A talk about mermaids was the first lecture in which Angelica ever seemed engaged. Tia spoke about something called “L’Aqua de Vida,” a fountain just east of the bayou where legend had it that one could glean years of life from another living soul with but water from the fountain, two charmed chalices and a mermaid’s tear. Rose wasn’t certain if she believed the legend, but was more engrossed by the silent fascination Angelica had for the subject.

This sudden bout of interest in Tia’s lessons didn’t last for Angelica, however. After the eighth week, she began to sneak out again. She would actually get quite far sometimes, one night being able to sack a small boat and make her way to the town of Shipwreck, which was only a few leagues away from the bayou. But as soon as Rose noticed that Angelica was gone, she would immediately tell Tia and giddily watch as a furious Angelica would stomp back through the door, forced back to the house with the homing charm Tia still had over her.

Once Angelica figured out that it was Rose who was telling Tia about her late night escapades and escape missions, she began retaliating. One night, Rose was violently awakened upon being thrown to the ground. Feeling around her, she discovered that Angelica had used her sword to cut Rose’s hammock down, sending her toppling to the ground.

Rose then brewed Angelica a special tea infused with bloodroot, an herb that causes its consumer to throw up their food.

Angelica’s revenge included dumping out all of the contents of the herb chest into one large pile, forcing Rose to reorganize the entire chest all over again.

Rose responded with an idea that had been brewing for several months at that point. She tiptoed past where Tia was telling Angelica about how to reanimate dead corpses, a process she called, “zombification.” Rose took Tia’s yellow snake, which Angelica was terrified of. She placed it at the bottom of Angelica’s bed so that she would feel it slithering around her foot when she went to sleep. Rose delighted upon hearing her enemy’s startled screams. Sadly, the next lesson Angelica learned from Tia was how to charm snakes, and Angelica had taught the creature to fear Rose so much so that Rose couldn’t even come near the animal without it trying to strike at her.

Angelica’s next attempt at revenge didn’t stop there, however. It didn’t become apparent to Rose what had happened until she had tattled to Tia that Angelica had snuck out once again and she was forced to return. Instead of cursing at Rose, as was to be expected, Angelica gave a wry grin.

“What are _you_ so happy about?” Rose asked with a small grin of her own, silently reveling in the fact that Angelica was also being kept at the shack against her will.

Rose’s inner joy ceased suddenly however when Angelica tossed a small, empty leather pouch on the table in front of Rose. She gingerly picked up the bag, realizing that it once contained all the money she had saved from her days as a barmaid on Tortuga.

“On behalf of the entire Shipwreck Tavern,” Angelica said with a catlike smile, “I would like to thank you for paying for a round of drinks for all the pirates on Shipwreck Island!”

Rose dropped the pouch and proceeded to leap onto Angelica, fully attacking her with all the might in her body.


	21. Teach Me

Tia Dalma flew around the corner. "Enough!" she cried, pulling the two quarreling girls off of each other.

" _¡Púdrete en el infierno!_ ” cried Angelica.

" _Vous êtes un salaud!_ " replied Rose.

"STOP!" shouted Tia, rendering the furious girls silent. Tia had wedged herself between them, all three struggling to catch their breath through the scuffle.

"You. There!" Tia said to Angelica, pointing to a chair on the east side of the room. To Rose, she ordered, "You! There!" pointing to a chair on the west side.

Both girls begrudgingly did as they were told, each rubbing various body parts that had been slammed, hit or scratched. Tia took her seat behind her table between them, folding her hands and sitting erect like a judge presiding over a court. The guilty parties only glared at each other from their respective sides of the room.

The silence was thick between them, and hate radiated from their eyes. When Angelica donned a smug smile, Rose cried out, "She stole my money! The money I had spent _years_ saving! She stole—"

"Silence!" Tia shouted over her, and Rose obeyed ruefully. She then continued, more quietly, "Tell me why you is he–ere."

Both girls exchanged an uncertain glance with Tia, confused as to who she was speaking to, but Tia was looking between _both_ of them. Angelica answered first. "I am supposedly, 'The Chosen One.'"

"And I'm your prisoner," Rose chimed in bitterly.

"No and _no!_ " Tia said sternly. "Ye each be 'ere fer yer own means! It is yer destiny!"

Angelica scoffed. "Destiny! Like some false prophet isolated in a swamp could possibly predict _my_ destiny." She crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair. "Tell me then," she spat, "What else does my _destiny_ entail, if you can see so much of it?"

Tia placed both of her hands flat on the table and looked at Angelica gravely. "Ye will find 'im."

Angelica furrowed her brow. "Who? Jack?"

"And he you search fer."

Rose watched Angelica quickly lose her skepticism and grow fascinated with Tia Dalma's words. "By what means will I find him?"

"I cannot say," she replied.

Angelica snorted. "Just as I suspected..." she grumbled.

"Take heed," Tia warned. "Him will blind you. He you hate will give ye sight."

Angelica's jaw hardened. "This is just an elaborate tale to get Jack to—"

"No tale. Teach approaches."

Rose watched as Angelica's face lost all color. "How...?" was all she managed to squeak out before she darted up the stairs back into their shared room. Rose's gaze followed her until she heard the door slam above where they sat.

"Teach?" she asked. "As in, Edward Teach? _Blackbeard?_ "

Tia nodded solemnly. "'er fadder."

"Her father?! Blackbeard is Angelica's _father_?"

"'Er mudder died, leavin' da girl in a convent, but she left 'er wid tales of he who loved 'er."

"But Angelica never told anyone," Rose finished. "Blackbeard is hated...they could use it against her if they knew. Does Jack know?"

Tia shook her head. "Nobody."

Rose narrowed her eyes. "You really _are_ a mystic, aren't you?"

Tia grinned devilishly, leaning closer to Rose. "I see yer future too. Do ya wanna know?"

Rose considered this. Knowing would give her power over the extent of her future, but then again, couldn't ignorance also be bliss? Perhaps knowing too much could set her mind at great unease. But she was faced with an opportunity, be it hopeful or harmful. Rose was desperately searching for her place in the world, and be it a positive or negative outcome, at least she could look forward to something.

"Yes," answered Rose bravely. "I do wish to know."

Tia nodded slowly, then began. "Ye too will find him ye search fer."

"Jack?"

"No. He who ye lost."

Though Rose's mind reeled wondering who she could possibly be referring to, Tia proceeded. "Ye will 'ave much heartbreak, but also great joy. Love be present."

"Love?" Rose asked. "Do you know... _who_?"

Tia's eyes glimmered. "'im who too 'as much heartbreak. Ye will marry a dead man, Rose."

_A dead man? What does she mean?_

Before she had a chance to question this, Tia gravely gave this prophecy: "'Dere be a touch of destiny aboud you, Rose Hexfury. Ye will gain more power dan any man can ever dream of possessin'. If ye be willin', dis power will be yers. Da seas be bowin' to yer every whim, and men will fear you. Ye will not be ready to take dis power, but you _must._ Protect him heart, protect da seas forever."

Rose must have turned just a white as Angelica did, for Tia's speech softened upon seeing her pupil's overwhelmed expression. "Yer destiny is bright, Rose," she murmured. "Follow me word, and you will find joy."

Rose's mind was racing. In a matter of seconds, she was told that she would marry a dead man, possess more power than anyone could ever dream, and that she had a great responsibility to protect something for eternity. This made her feel both terrified and excited. The thought of possessing great power when she often felt so small and insignificant seemed a blessing to her, but then again, what did she mean by “marrying a dead man?” Did she mean that her love was doomed to perish?

"I know it be a lot to swallow," Tia said, "But believe me. Yer here fer a purpose."

"But I don't understand. You told Jack that I wasn't 'the right one,' while Angelica was. What of that?"

Tia grinned. "Destinies change wid da tide. Ya changed yers when ya wanted to learn my lessons like Angelica.”

“Can I also change my destiny so that the tides will turn and I can once again join Jack aboard the _Pearl_?"

The priestess's eyes shone with sadness as she gravely said, “Nay, n’ ya will not go aboard fer many, many years.”

* * *

 

Rose awoke with hard thud on the cold, wooden floor. Angelica had once again flipped her hammock.

"Tia needs you," she said in her thick Spanish accent. "Something about those blasted leaves again."

Rose groaned, pushing herself up and reaching around to gauge her surroundings, since it was not yet dawn and her night blindness was still in full effect. "Thank you ever so much for waking me in your gentle way," she said sarcastically.

"Never you mind it!" Angelica replied, feigning sweetness as she tossed herself back on her bed and instantly fell back asleep.

If Rose could see, she swore she would have plotted some sort of revenge on her roommate, but Tia awaited below to give an important lesson for some inexplicable reason at this ungodly hour.

She felt around for her trunk, pulling the lever and releasing the lock. The lid swung upwards as Rose reached for her dressing gown and belt. First, she felt a garment, and she smiled despite it being the incorrect dress. The light green gown from Tortuga. It hadn't fit her in years. Rose then came upon the dress she had been searching for; A bright red, lacy and wild gown inspired by her gypsy ancestry that Rose had made herself upon outgrowing the green one.

Rose put in on and adjusted the belt over her shoulder. She then began to braid her hair, which had grown to a considerable length.

Hard to believe that Rose had been under Tia's guidance for nearly a decade. She was twenty-four, and the tides still hadn't turned according to Tia. Rose had no idea when she would ever see her brother again.

She lingered on the promise that soon she would possess unbelievable power. Though she still remained uncertain about her future, the promise of ultimate joy created much excitement and a small flicker of hope that burned deep inside her.

"Rose!" Tia cried from below.

"Coming!" Rose called, stirring from her daydream and reaching ahead of her to make her way by touch down the stairs.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! This was the introduction to Rose Hexfury's story and everything leading up to where the films begin. We've met some familiar faces, and there are MANY more to come, as we are now entering Curse of the Black Pearl! Hope you keep on reading, and please feel free to leave any feedback!


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